Whilst Malta has condemned the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops and has backed EU sanctions against Russia, including passport sales to Russian citizens, it is seeking compromise on the EU’s proposal to ban the transportation of Russian oil on EU-flagged or controlled ships.

The proposal is part of the EU’s plans to gradually reduce and end reliance on Russian energy sources. According to the Times of Malta, sources said that the ban could have a massive impact on the shipping industry. Some of the EU’s biggest ship registers are found in Malta and its operators would likely be affected if they were unable to reach certain ports.

In the past few months, Zelensky has addressed several national parliaments around Europe, as well as having addressed the European Parliament at the beginning of March.

It is likely that Zelensky will also seek Malta’s support for Ukraine to join the EU, something which Ukraine has shown interest in even before the war started.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who was the first high-ranking EU official to visit the country since the invasion started, has expressed her enthusiasm and optimism about Ukraine joining the EU.

Zelensky’s address will be streamed live on the Maltese Parliament’s channel as well as Lovin Malta’s Facebook page at 4pm today. The speech will also be followed by a speech by the leader of the opposition Bernard Grech and Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Will you be tuning in?