Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to travel to Brussels on Thursday to attend an EU summit where he will press allies to deliver more weapons and fighter jets “as soon as possible” and urge a speedy start to EU membership talks.

The Ukrainian president started the surprise tour of Europe on Wednesday with visits to Britain and France, marking just his second venture abroad since the Russian invasion almost one year ago.

His attendance at the EU summit in Brussels will be “a signal of European solidarity,” said German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Mr Zelenskiy will reportedly travel to the summit with French president Emmanuel Macron

Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskiy to lobby EU leaders at Brussels summit

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Yesterday, Mr Zelenskiy travelled to France to meet Mr Macron and Mr Scholz. Earlier in the day he addressed the British parliament and met King Charles in London.

A senior Ukrainian official said the president would ask the EU summit for more arms – especially fighter jets and longer-range missiles – and for the EU to move quickly on Ukraine’s bid to join.

“The sooner Ukraine gets long-range heavy weaponry, the sooner our pilots get planes, the sooner this Russian aggression will end and we can return to peace in Europe,” Mr Zelenskiy said in Paris alongside the leaders of France and Germany.

Elsewhere, the Nato secretary general said Moscow is preparing a new offensive in the war.

During a press conference on Wednesday with US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, Jens Stoltenberg said: “Regrettably, we see no sign that Russia is preparing for peace. On the contrary, Moscow is preparing for new military offensives. So we must continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to retake territory, and prevail as a sovereign, independent nation.” – Guardian