Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded Thursday for Europeans to remain united in their support for his country at war, as he arrived near Oxford in the United Kingdom, where he is participating in a regional summit.
“It is very important to maintain unity in Europe, because unity always allows strong decisions to be taken,” said Mr. Zelensky upon his arrival at Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill, where the this fourth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC). On this occasion, he will also meet the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, host of this meeting, as well as King Charles III. He also announced on the social network X that he would sign “an intergovernmental agreement on support for the Ukrainian industrial and defense complex.”
“It is very important to be here, for Ukraine, especially during this difficult period of war,” he added in Blenheim, interviewed by a few journalists. “Since the early days of the (Russian) invasion, the UK has been ahead of the curve in its determination to support Ukraine. This is the kind of commitment we need to end Russian terror,” he added.
His call for European unity comes a few days after a trip by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Moscow and Beijing as part of a “peace mission”, not mandated by his peers in the European Union, who caused an uproar in Brussels and most EU capitals. Mr. Orban, also present at Blenheim Palace, judged on his arrival on Thursday that it was “impossible to find a solution on the battlefield”.
This article is originally published on lorientlejour.com
