Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that "a free Europe cannot be imagined without free Ukraine," and thanked EU leaders for the "unwavering support" his country has received so far.

"The unity of Europe is the fundamental way to security," Zelensky said during a speech at the European Council in Brussels. "A free Europe cannot be imagined without free Ukraine."

Zelensky said Ukraine and the European Union share the same values, but those values and regional security are threatened by Russian aggression.

"At the moment our unity, our freedom requires one more component. One component without which everything else is fragile. That is security," Zelensky said. "We all are protecting Europe against the [Moscow] regime, which wants to destroy the freedom of Europe, which wants to be the authoritarian leader on our continent," he said.

Zelensky also said he is grateful Ukraine has received EU candidate status as it aims to join the European Union and be a part of a united Europe.