Speaking at the EU summit in the Belgian capital, Zelensky urged European leaders to support his call for an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, saying it would deliver a "decisive" blow to Russia, news agencies reported.
"An immediate invitation to Ukraine to join NATO would be decisive," he said.
"Putin must see that his geopolitical calculations are worthless," he added.
"Putin must respect our strength, not have the free world tremble at his threats," Zelensky further argued, as quoted by the Reuters news agency.
During his address, the Ukrainian president sought to persuade EU leaders to back his five-point "victory plan," which he believes could end the war with Russia as early as next year if implemented without delay.
The plan, which Zelensky described as "a tool to compel Russia towards peace," includes a call for permission to use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, according to Reuters.
While in Brussels on Thursday, Zelensky was also scheduled to visit the European Parliament and NATO headquarters, where a two-day meeting of the alliance's defence ministers was set to begin in the afternoon.
In a post on X ahead of his visit, Zelensky said that his priority was "securing more protection for Ukraine" against Russia "ahead of the winter."
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Thursday is day 967 of Russia's war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, Ukrinform