Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the European Parliament as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its sixth day. Zelensky and Ukrainian parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk will speak at a special session of the European Parliament.
Following a debate titled “Russian aggression in Ukraine,” European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola said on Twitter that the EU would pass a resolution.
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“We are witnessing the invasion of a sovereign and independent country. Freedom and values are at stake. We must stand up and not look away,” she wrote on the Weibo page.
Zelensky and Stefanchuk will speak via videoconference. Messora said European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursul von der Leyen and European Union High Representative Joseph Borrell Fonteles will also attend the meeting.
The European Parliament will meet at 12.30pm GMT (6.30pm IST).
Russia’s military offensive entered its sixth day of heavy bombardment on Tuesday. In Kharkiv, one of the worst-hit cities in the Eastern European country, residential buildings were hit by Russian missiles.
The United Nations says at least 136 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war in Ukraine last week – a claim he rejects. In addition, some 400 people were injured in European countries and thousands were displaced.
Liz Throssel, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the actual number of victims was expected to increase, adding that in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions – eastern Ukraine and the Russia’s close separatist region – a total of 253 victims were reported.
Ceasefire talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations ended at the Belarusian border on Monday, with another meeting planned soon. Meanwhile, Zelensky signed Ukraine’s application to join the European Union, a move aimed at strengthening the country’s ties with the West.
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
