Brussels By the time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took the floor in the European Parliament, the worrying news from the front in Brussels had already spread. “Russian forces have regained the initiative in Ukraine and are beginning their next major offensive,” wrote the Institute for the Study of War, an American think tank that has detailed the Ukraine war since the Russian invasion began.
Russia is waging a “total war” against his country, says Zelensky in his speech to the European Parliament. This war is not only about territories that Russia wants to annex. It is a war against European values - against the promise of peace, security and prosperity that underlies the European Union. Zelenskiy describes Russia as an “anti-European power” that the EU and Ukraine are opposing together. “Ukraine is defending itself against Russia together with Europe,” he says.
The deputies celebrate Zelensky’s appearance with cheers and shouts of bravo, standing ovations and Ukrainian flags. After his speech, the Ukrainian national anthem sounds, Selenski stands next to Parliament President Roberta Metsola, he sings, his hand on his heart. The message emanating from that day is unmistakable: Ukraine is not a Russian zone of influence, it is part of Europe.
“President Zelenski has once again reminded us all what is at stake: the protection of the European and Ukrainian “way of life”,” praised Damian Boeselager from the pro-European party Volt, who followed the speech in the plenum.
But the moving scenes from Parliament cannot hide the fact that there are differences of interest between the EU and Ukraine. And these are becoming increasingly clear.
Zelensky urges his country to join the EU and the delivery of combat aircraft as soon as possible. Both demands are met with resistance, yet he raises them again and again because Ukraine’s existence as an independent nation is at stake.
Metsola stands by Zelenski’s side, but the governments are skeptical
Even before Zelensky speaks, Speaker of Parliament Metsola praises the heroic courage of the Ukrainians. She promises the country “the fastest possible procedure for accession” to the EU and joins Zelenskiy’s call for “long-range weapons systems and jets” that “Ukraine needs to defend freedom”.
The Ukrainian President received sustained applause in Brussels – but only in Parliament.
(Photo: dpa)
The heads of state and government of the EU countries, which Zelensky attended at their summit just a few blocks away after his speech, express themselves more cautiously. The arms deliveries to Kyiv have already thinned out the depots of the European armies. It is becoming increasingly difficult to procure ammunition supplies, find operational troop carriers and main battle tanks without weakening one’s own defense capability.
And now, as he pushes the call for fighter jets ever more forcefully, Zelensky is scratching at one of the few red lines that remain for significant parts of the EU. Western fighter jets are clearly superior to most Russian models, they have better radars and more accurate missiles. But they could also be used for retaliatory attacks on Russian cities.
For fear of being involved in the war with Russia themselves, most EU countries have so far not wanted to take the risk of supplying fighter jets.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who never tires of emphasizing that Germany is making a “very central contribution” to supporting Ukraine, is also tight-lipped on the fighter jet issue. “A signal of unity, of solidarity” should emanate from the meeting with Zelensky, he said, and promised to continue support for Ukraine “as long as necessary”. But Scholz didn’t say a word about fighter jets.
The Chancellor did not say a word about fighter jets for Ukraine at the EU summit.
(Photo: dpa)
The day before, he had warned in the Bundestag against a “bidding competition” in the demand for arms deliveries.
Russia fills the gaps at the front
But faced with the difficult military situation, Zelensky has no choice but to embarrass his European hosts. According to EU assessments, the partial mobilization of the Russian armed forces in the autumn made up for the deficit in combat troops that weakened them at the beginning of the invasion. After being thrown back on a broad front by the Ukraine in the summer, the Russians are now sending recruits in droves to attack the Ukrainian positions and are accepting heavy losses.
This bloody tactic is showing increasing success, the Ukrainian defenders are under pressure. After heavy fighting, the Russians apparently succeeded in penetrating the outskirts of the ruined city of Bakhmut. Here they want to force the turning point.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
The EU is following the course of the war with growing concern. Ukraine must compensate for its quantitative disadvantage with qualitative superiority in order to retain the chance of repelling waves of Russian attacks and getting back on the offensive itself – the EU shares this assessment of Ukraine. But the Europeans will not meet the demand for fighter jets any time soon.
Even the British government, which has been more open to Zelenskiy’s wishes in the past than most EU countries and wants to start training Ukrainian pilots, has not given a concrete delivery commitment.
In London, too, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed reservations about the delivery of aircraft.
(Photo: dpa)
From the point of view of EU diplomats, the fighter jet debate is not very productive anyway. What Ukraine needs much more urgently are anti-aircraft systems and faster delivery of the war equipment that has already been promised.
That’s difficult enough. After a long hesitation, Germany agreed to the delivery of Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks. The first should arrive in March. The British also want to hand over tanks to Ukraine in the next few weeks.
But all of a sudden things have gone quiet around other EU countries. Chancellor Scholz reminded them of their commitments at the summit: “We are trying to ensure that many others who have come forward in the past” now “follow practical action.”
More: Macron, Selenski and Scholz are negotiating further weapons aid