• The Ukrainian leader this morning made an appeal to the European Union, requesting that the bloc grant Ukraine ‘immediate’ membership 
  • He was pictured signing his nation’s application to the European alliance today
  • Zelensky also said Ukrainian prisoners with combat experience will be released
  • Inmates will be able to ‘compensate for their guilt’ by fighting to defend Ukraine 
  • The president said the decision was ‘not easy from the moral point of view’
  • But stressed that the defence of the nation was now the highest priority
  • Click here for MailOnline’s liveblog with the latest updates on the Ukraine crisis