Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy simply turned the tables on Tuesday in the European Parliament: "Prove that you are really European," he shouted.
He didn't see it as his duty to prove that Ukraine was a truly European country, a worthy EU member state.
Rather, MEPs should demonstrate their European values by urgently admitting Ukraine into the European Union.
The Ukrainian did not receive a promise, on the contrary: everyone was pointing to the long way.
But at least the deputies gave him a standing ovation.
This has not gone unnoticed in other European countries, which also feel threatened by Russia and are also striving to join the EU.
Georgia and Moldova are now emulating Ukraine.
Frederick Smith
Political correspondent for Russia and the CIS in Moscow.
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Michael Martens
Correspondent for Southeast European countries based in Vienna.
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Thomas Gutschker
Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries based in Brussels.
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The Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, signed an application for membership in Tbilisi on Thursday.
In an address to the population, he said it was a "historic day for Georgia".
The country is currently “closer to the EU than ever before”.
Polls regularly show great approval for the integration course of the former Soviet republic towards the EU and NATO.
However, EU progress reports regularly complain that the independence of the Georgian judiciary is not progressing well.