Ukraine’s president delivered a stirring speech in Kyiv on Saturday, declaring that his country will never give up, as it commemorated two years of war with Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine’s sovereignty and dignity were non-negotiable, and that the war could only end on Ukraine’s terms.
“We will not let our Ukraine die. We always say ‘end of the war’ with ‘on our terms’. We always say ‘peace’ with ‘fair’. We have been fighting for it for 730 days of our lives. And we will win on the best day of our life,” he said.
He was joined by a host of Western leaders who came to show their support and solidarity with Ukraine.
They paid tribute to the fallen heroes at a memorial wall and praised the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people.
But there was a notable absence of any high-level US officials, unlike last year when President Joe Biden attended the anniversary.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, said that Ukraine had defended not only itself, but the whole of Europe, from Russia’s aggression.
“You stopped Russia’s assault on the heart of Ukraine. You saved your country, you saved all of Europe,” she said.
Italy and Canada announced new security agreements with Ukraine, aimed at enhancing its prospects of joining Nato.
Later, the G7 leaders – including Canada, Italy, the UK and US – vowed to stand by Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia in a virtual meeting.
