Zelenskiy, Ukraine invites to participate in EU summit

BRUSSELS (Reuters] – Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine, has been invited to attend a summit for European Union leaders. The EU announced this Monday amid reports that he might be in Brussels by next week.

Charles Michel, the President of the European Council of the EU’s National Leaders, invited Zelenskiy, a spokesperson for Michel tweeted.

Barend Leyts the spokesman did not give any details about when Zelenskiy would accept the invitation but stated that “for security purposes” no additional information would ever be released.

This week’s EU summit is in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Multiple media outlets reported earlier in the day that Zelenskiy might attend the summit and could also address a session at the European Parliament.

EU officials declined to comment. Some suggested that, if such news were leaked ahead of time, it could present a greater security threat to Ukraine’s wartime leader and reduce his chances of going ahead with the visit.

Zelenskiy’s Office did not respond to a request to comment on the reports.

If Zelenskiy visits Brussels this week it will be his second foreign trip since Russia invaded Ukraine in its entirety last February 24.

Zelenskiy was in Washington, DC to meet President Joe Biden and give a speech to the U.S. Congress.

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski. Andrew Gray. Ron Popeski. Tom Balmforth. Writing by Andrew Gray. Editing by GV Del Clercq.