Belgian parliament invites Zelensky to address plenary session

The Chamber of Representatives, the lower chamber of Belgium’s federal parliament, will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address next week’s plenary meeting. This was decided on Wednesday, says N-VA (Flemish nationalists) fraction leader Peter De Roover.

For technical reasons this meeting cannot not physically take place in the plenary chamber of parliament, De Roover regrets, but the MPs would have to be divided over two committee rooms to hear Zelensky. The N-VA party leader has asked parliament chairwoman Eliane Tillieux to invite Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president already addressed several parliaments via video link in recent weeks. These include the Italian, German and European Parliaments, as well as the US Congress. Next week, he will also address the assemblies of France and the Netherlands.

Zelensky has been seeking support from NATO and EU member states since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The West has already imposed heavy sanctions on the Kremlin and is sending weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. However, nothing points towards a no-fly zone being introduced any time soon, which Zelensky has been calling for for weeks.

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