Subscribe here: [ Ссылка ] I can't go home 'without results': Zelenskyy. "I simply haven't got the right to come back without the results," the Ukrainian President also told reporters when asked by Euronews Efi Koutsokosta if he expected to leave Brussels with concrete pledges for more support and military equipment, including fighter jets.

"That depends on the partners. And for me, personally, it's very important that all the talks we conduct can lead to the result - should lead to the result. And perhaps, that's slightly impertinent, but that's not cynical, that's a pragmatic point of view."

"There are positive signals concerning the respective weapons. We have positive signals that we hear each other and I really want these signals to move to concrete sounds," he added.

Quizzed about his country's EU aspiration quickly during the press conference, Zelenskyy replied in English that "we can start opening the dialogue about our future in the EU" before returning the question to Michel and von der Leyen.

"We need unity in this case, that’s why of course we need this year," he said, adding that EU membership is motivating citizens and armed forces to resist and fight.

" When I say this year, Charles, I mean this year, 2-0-23," he said, prompting laughter in the room.

The Commission is scheduled to release its assessment of Ukraine's progress in its membership progress later this year with an oral presentation in the spring and a more formal report in the autumn.

EU officials have described themselves as "impressed" by the results already achieved by Ukraine. The country was granted candidate status in June last year and tasked with advancing on seven requirements. A number of reforms to strengthen the judiciary and the fight against corruption have since been rolled out by the government.

Von der Leyen added during the press conference that the Commission is "working very closely with the Ukrainian government on the progress" and said "it is impressive to see how highly professional" they are.

"There is no rigid timeline, it is a merit-based process," she said, emphasising that the speed at which they reach the milestones set by the Commission dictates the speed of their membership process.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Brussels on Thursday to meet with European Union leaders as they gather for a summit.

The Belgian capital is the third stop in the Ukrainian President's whirlwind European tour. He visited London on Wednesday afternoon to address Parliament and hold a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before crossing the Channel again for a meeting in Paris with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz.

During his trip to Brussels, Zelenskyy delivered a speech to European lawmakers in which he said his country is defending the "European way of life" and focuses on shared values.

He later addressed all 27 leaders of the EU to express his "gratitude" for the support given up to now and during a press conference reiterated his call for more weapons, including long-range missiles, and his wish for a fast accession into the EU.

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