by Olena Harmash and Angelo Amante
KYIV (Reuters) – G7 leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine on Saturday while several European political figures traveled to Kyiv, two years after the start of the Russian invasion.
“As Ukraine enters the third year of this relentless war, its government and people can count on the support of the G7 for as long as it takes,” the Group of Seven said in a statement.
Volodimir Zelensky, who spoke with G7 leaders via videoconference, stressed the need to protect Ukraine’s skies and strengthen its army. “We’re counting on you,” he said during the call.
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Anxious to dispel fears of Western disinterest in the conflict, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the Italian Council Giorgia Meloni and the Canadian Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, are arrived early Saturday in Kyiv.
Ursula von der Leyen pledged on Saturday to continue Europe’s support until Ukraine is “finally free”.
“More than ever, we stand firmly alongside Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is free,” Ursula von der Leyen, who arrived in Ukraine in aboard a night train from Poland.
“The message I want to send today to all Ukrainians is that they are not alone. I want you to know that we are deeply grateful to you,” Giorgia Meloni said at the signing of a defense pact ten years with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky.
Justin Trudeau signed a similar agreement and pledged to provide some $2.25 billion in financial and military support this year.
These agreements follow similar promises recently signed by France and Germany.
“We will support Ukraine whatever the cost, for as long as it takes,” declared the Canadian Prime Minister.
THE FIGHTS CONTINUE
Commemorations were being held across Ukraine exactly two years after the start of the conflict, including a tribute to those who died in the small town of Bucha, where Russian forces are accused of committing war crimes against civilians.
“I’m realistic and I understand that the war will probably drag on for the next three or four years. I hope that society will mobilize, I hope that we will be able to defeat Russia somehow. another,” said Kyiv resident Denis Symonovsky.
Volodimir Zelensky took the foreign leaders to tour Hostemel airport, which was the scene of a fierce battle early in the invasion, when Russia tried to bring in paratroopers to seize the capital, located a few kilometers away.
“Two years ago we faced the enemy with fire, today we meet our friends and partners here,” the Ukrainian president said in a televised speech, plane wrecks behind him.
Outside Kyiv, fighting continues unabated.
The port of Odessa was targeted by Russian drones for the second night in a row, hitting a residential building and killing one person, the region’s governor said. In Dnipro, a Russian drone struck an apartment building, killing two people.
Separately, a source in Kyiv said Ukrainian drones caused a fire at a Russian steel plant, identified by a Russian official in Lipetsk, some 400 km from Ukraine.
US AID STILL BLOCKED
Two years ago, the Ukrainians unexpectedly dashed the Russian president’s hopes for a quick victory by repelling the enemy and avoiding defeat in the days following the start of the large-scale offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Vladimir Putin.
But as the war enters its third year, aid, particularly military aid, to Kyiv has slowed, with repercussions on the battlefield where Ukraine’s summer counter-offensive did not give the expected results.
US President Joe Biden remains a staunch ally of Ukraine, although his administration’s plan for new military aid of $61 billion is still blocked by Republican opposition in Congress.
However, US policy towards Ukraine and the war could change after the US presidential election.
Russia, which has a much larger population to replenish the ranks of the army and a larger military budget, could be in favor of a long-term war.
Ukraine’s position is more precarious. Towns and villages have been completely destroyed, troops are exhausted, and Russian missiles and drone strikes rain down almost daily.
This month, Russia recorded its biggest victory in nine months, capturing the eastern town of Avdiivka.
According to a recent World Bank study, rebuilding Ukraine’s economy could cost nearly $500 billion. Two million homes were damaged or destroyed, and nearly six million people fled the invasion and are still abroad.
Besides the need for funds and weapons, Volodimir Zelensky wants legislation that would allow Ukraine to mobilize up to half a million additional troops – a goal that some economists say could cripple the economy.
(With contributions from Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett-White and Steve Holland, edited by Mike Collett-White, Crispian Balmer and Humeyra Pamuk; French version Camille Raynaud, Zhifan Liu and Kate Entringer)
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