“We will win,” proclaimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion, in a video released Saturday by the presidency. “We are fighting for this. For 730 days in our lives. And we will win, on the best day of our lives,” he said from the Gostomel military airport, near Kiev, and scene of a battle key with the Russians in the first days of the invasion. The Ukrainian president was accompanied by Western leaders who came for the occasion.
The main information:
- “We will win,” assures Volodymyr Zelensky on the anniversary of the Russian invasion
- France’s support for kyiv “will not weaken”, says Emmanuel Macron
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed “the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people”
- London announces 245 million pounds to help Ukraine stock up on munitions
- Russian Defense Minister visits his troops in Ukraine
France’s support will “not weaken”, says Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday that France’s support for Ukraine will not “weaken” and that we should “not count on” a “weariness of Europeans”. “Two years of war. Hit and bruised, but still standing. Ukraine is fighting for itself, for its ideals, for our Europe. Our commitment to its side will not weaken,” wrote Emmanuel Macron, in a message posted by the Élysée on the social network X on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.
“President Putin’s Russia must not count on any weariness among Europeans,” the French presidency also warns in a press release on X. “The outcome of this war will be decisive for European interests, values and security. France is and will remain alongside Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” added the Elysée press release.
Von der Leyen hails Ukrainian “resistance” in kyiv for 2 years of war
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the “extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people” on Saturday upon her arrival in Kiev, two years to the day after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine .
“In kyiv to mark the anniversary of the second year of Russia’s war against Ukraine. And to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people,” von der Leyen said on social media. “More than ever, we firmly support Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free.”
London announces 245 million pounds to help Ukraine stock up on munitions
The United Kingdom announced on Saturday an envelope of 245 million pounds sterling (287 million euros) to help Ukraine replenish its munitions, two years after the start of the Russian invasion. This aid aims to “reinvigorate supply chains in order to produce the artillery ammunition which Ukraine urgently needs to increase its reserves”, indicates in a press release the British Ministry of Defense.
The Ukrainian military “repulsed the Russian invader to reclaim half of the territory that Putin stole, while causing significant damage to Russian capabilities, with around 30% of Russia’s Black Sea fleet destroyed or damaged, and thousands of tanks and armored vehicles reduced to wreckage,” declared British Defense Minister Grant Shapps. “Together we will make Putin fail, for a victory for democracy, the rules-based international order and the Ukrainian people,” he added.
Ukraine will triumph over Russian “darkness,” says kyiv army commander
Ukraine will triumph over Russian “darkness”, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armies promised on Saturday, the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of his country. “I am convinced that our victory is in unity. And it will undoubtedly be. Because light always triumphs over darkness!” General Oleksandr Syrsky said on Telegram. Two years ago, “when thousands of columns of Russian invaders entered Ukraine from all directions, when thousands of missiles and bombs fell on our country, no one in the world believed that we would hold “, the commander recalled.
“No one believed in it, but Ukraine believed in it! It believed in it, accepted the battle and held out” against the much more powerful enemy, in this “biggest war in Europe since the Second World War “, continued Oleksandr Syrsky. He paid tribute to the killed Ukrainian soldiers and promised to “avenge” their deaths, while recognizing that Kiev’s major counter-offensive launched in the summer of 2023 “unfortunately did not give the expected results”. “We are fighting for every meter of our territory,” added the 58-year-old Russian-born commander.
NATO chief calls on Ukrainians “not to lose hope” after 2 years of war
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Ukraine and its allies on Saturday “not to lose hope” on the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country. “The situation on the battlefield remains extremely difficult. President Putin’s goal of dominating Ukraine has not changed, there is no indication that he is preparing for peace,” said the Secretary General of the ‘Alliance in a recorded message. “But we must not lose hope. Ukraine has repeatedly demonstrated its remarkable capabilities and fierce determination,” he insisted in this video posted on the NATO website.
Arrests in Moscow at a gathering of wives of Russian soldiers mobilized in Ukraine
Russian police made several arrests on Saturday, including journalists, during a gathering of wives of mobilized Russian soldiers demanding their return from Ukraine, a country marking the second anniversary of the Russian offensive, two independent Russian media reported .
Every Saturday, these military wives lay flowers on the tomb of the unknown soldier, a symbolic action in the shadow of the Kremlin walls to demand their return from the front. Police have warned media, including the AFP, not to attend these rallies, and are arresting journalists who disregard this warning.
Russian Defense Minister visits his troops in Ukraine
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited his troops in Ukraine, the Russian army announced on Saturday, the second anniversary of the Moscow offensive.
“Today, in terms of the balance of forces, the advantage is on our side,” the minister told Russian soldiers from a command center. The army press release specifies that the minister had been informed that Russian forces had gone on the offensive after seizing the town of Avdiivka.