Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the UK to rejoin the European Union in order to to preserve the security of the continent in the face of the Russian threat.
In a post on social media on Friday, the Ukrainian president said the UK should be welcomed into the EU along with Ukraine, Turkey and Norway.
Zelensky described these as “four strong countries” and said the “UK, Ukraine, and Türkiye have armies that are stronger than Russia’s army.”
He made the point that if the United States were to withdraw from NATO in the future then the security of Europe “will be based solely on the European Union.”
He argued having these military forces of the UK, Ukraine and Turkey in the EU would mean “you can wrest control of the seas, have secure skies and the largest land forces.
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Zelensky continued: “It’s not about offense, because when Russia makes the decision to have an army of 2.5 million people by 2030, Europe has to think about security and how to preserve its independence.
“The UK once was a member of the EU. There are concerns about agriculture when it comes to Türkiye.
“But you can manage all of this if you have a really great economy. But security comes first, economy second. Not vice versa.”
His comments came from an interview with the Rest is Politics podcast the Ukrainian leader did this week.