Ukraine marks third anniversary of war with Russia {VIDEO}
Leaders from the European Union and Canada have gathered in Ukraine in a show of unity as Kyiv marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2O22 and since then has captured over 2 percent of Ukranian territory.
The war has led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions from Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday hailed the “heroism” of his country as he welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among other senior officials. However, there was no representative from the United States, amid growing uncertainty over Washington’s support.
“Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians,” said Zelenskyy. “I thank everyone who defends and supports it.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated the EU’s support for Ukraine.
“In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny,” she wrote in a social media post.
Amid the threatened reduction or total stop in US military support, the 27-member bloc’s leaders are scheduled to meet on March 6 for a special summit “to take decisions” on Ukraine and European defence.
On Monday, a meeting of EU foreign ministers reportedly approved a 16th package of sanctions against Russia while saying a swift casefire that favors Moscow will not be accepted.
However, Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orban has remained close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has persistently complicated EU efforts to support Ukraine, said it will not back further sanctions.
The country's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also said his country will not agree to a boost in EU military aid as US President Donald Trump continues his push to force Ukraine to agree to a peace deal with Russia.
US officials met their Russian counterparts last week, while Trump and Zelenskyy have embarked on a bitter spat via the media, with the US leader accusing Kyiv of starting the war and questioning the Ukrainian president’s legitimacy.
Trump’s peace plan, which appears designed to illustrate his self-appointed role as a global dealmaker, faces resistance on both sides.
Russia said on Monday that the quick end to the war is “unacceptable”.
A ceasefire without a long-term settlement “is the path to a swift resumption of fighting and a resumption of the conflict with even more serious consequences, including consequences for Russian-US relations,” Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
Meanwhile, Ukraine signalled on Sunday that a contentious proposal that would hand Washington $500bn worth of profits from Ukrainian rare minerals has now been taken off the table, and that talks on a different deal are progressing.
Zelenskyy also told a forum in Kyiv that he would resign his post if that meant peace was achieved.
“If you need me to leave this chair, I am ready to do that, and I also can exchange it for NATO membership for Ukraine,” he said.
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