Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will address Malta’s parliament by video link on Tuesday afternoon against the background of a crucial juncture in the Russian invasion of his country.
It follows an invitation made by Foreign Minister Ian Borg in talks with his Ukrainian counterpart last month.
Malta has condemned the Russian invasion and backed EU sanctions against Russia, including suspending passport sales to Russian citizens.
Times of Malta revealed last week that Malta is seeking a compromise with the EU on its proposal to ban the transportation of Russian oil on EU-flagged or controlled ships.
The plans are part of European efforts to wean the bloc off dependence on Russian energy. Sources said the ban on transportation of Russian oil could have a major impact on the shipping industry. Malta has the EU’s biggest ship registers and its operators would be affected if they were unable to reach certain ports, sources said.
Russia’s military assault is currently focused on denying Ukraine its access to the sea and thus severely limiting the export of its products. With most of the city of Mariupol now occupied, attention is turning to the port city of Odessa, which was the target of several missile strikes on Monday.
Zelensky has addressed several national parliaments, speaking in English and making several references to historic milestones of the country he would be addressing.
In his address to Malta’s parliament, he is expected to make reference to Malta’s victory against Nazism during the second world war. His address will come a day after Russia held its annual commemoration of its World War Two victory over Nazi Germany while claiming that one of the pretexts of the invasion of Ukraine is to stop a Nazi revival.
Zelensky also recalled his country’s contribution in the war against Nazi Germany in a speech on Sunday where he warned that Ukraine won't allow Russia to 'appropriate' WWII victory over Nazism.
Zelensky is also expected to seek Malta’s support for his country to join the European Union.
European Parliament president Roberta Metsola was the first high-ranking EU official to visit Kyiv following the invasion and she said she looked forward to the day that Ukraine could be part of the bloc.
In an address to the nation late on Monday, Zelensky noted that Ukraine had just submitted answers to the second part of a special questionnaire to be completed by each country aspiring to be part of the European Union.
“It usually takes months. But we did everything in a few weeks. This is a document that contains thousands of pages,” he observed. “We expect to receive a positive response in June regarding the acquisition of EU candidate status by our country.”
The Ukrainian president’s address will start at 4pm. There will also be short addresses by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition. The sitting will be broadcast live on Times of Malta.