With the world’s attention focused on the Middle East and questions about US funding for Ukraine, the trips by high-ranking officials aim to reassure Kyiv that Western military and political support will not end.
“It’s good to return to Kyiv – among friends,” Ch. announced on social networks. Michel along with a photo of him next to a train.
German Defense Minister B. Pistorius also arrived in Kyiv and met with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov at the military training grounds, where they watched sniper exercises together.
“I am here once again, first of all, to pledge continued support, but also to express our solidarity and our deep connection, as well as our admiration for the valiant, brave and costly struggle that is taking place here,” Pistorius said earlier, as he laid flowers in Maidan Square in the center of the capital. .
The minister paid tribute to demonstrators killed 10 years ago during pro-European protests, the German news agency “dpa” reported.
“Courageous people of all ages took to the streets for freedom, for rapprochement with Europe and paid for it with their lives,” B. Pistorius said.
Meanwhile, the President of Moldova, M. Sandu, together with President Volodymyr Zelensky and the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, honored the memory of the victims at the “Heavenly Hundred” memorial.
“Victory of Courage”
Zelensky on Tuesday linked historic pro-democracy protests in Kyiv a decade ago to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of his country, calling the Maidan Square demonstrations the first victory in the war against Russia.
The Maidan protests arose at the end of 2013, when the then president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, refused the association agreement with the European Union. Later, a war broke out with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, and Russia annexed Crimea. Finally, the Kremlin organized a large-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
Around 100 civilians were killed in violent clashes with security forces in the capital during the pro-European protest movement.
“The first victory of today’s war has taken place. Victory over indifference. Victory of courage. The victory of the Revolution of Dignity,” Zelenskiy said in a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the months-long protest movement.
For its part, the Kremlin has called the Maidan protests an attempt to topple a government backed by foreign powers.
“It was a coup. It was a foreign-sponsored coup. We need to call things by their true names,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
He said that Russia’s goal remains to continue the invasion of Ukraine. Moscow announced last year that it had annexed four Ukrainian territories, although it never controlled them.
At that time, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a video message, welcomed Ukraine’s desire for freedom and its request to join the 27-nation European Union.
“Ukraine’s future is in the European Union,” she said. “The future that Maidan fought for has finally just begun.”
Mr Zelensky praised his country’s progress towards EU membership since Russian forces invaded in February last year.
“Year after year, step by step, we do our best to make our star shine in the circle of stars of the EU flag, which symbolizes the unity of the European nations. Ukrainian star,” he said.
The European Commission earlier this month recommended the start of formal membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and suggested that member states grant Sakartvel candidate status.
Advancement on the left bank of the Dnieper
The day before, V. Zelensky met with the head of the Pentagon, who was visiting Kyiv, who announced about another 100 million dollars. dollars (91.5 million euros) in military aid, and last week hosted the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, who promised further support from London.
These visits come after Ukraine’s unsuccessful counteroffensive in the south and east of the country, which the Ukrainians launched this summer after stockpiling Western weapons.
However, Ukraine recently claimed to have recaptured several kilometers of land on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, which is the de facto front line in the south of the country.
At the time, Russia’s defense minister rejected those claims on Tuesday, saying his troops had thwarted Ukrainian attempts to land on the occupied shore in the Kherson region and claiming the Ukrainian military had suffered huge losses.
Meanwhile, two Russian missiles hit a hospital in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Six people were injured and more may be buried under the rubble, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenka said on Tuesday.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight using 10 Shahed drones, four S-300 missiles and one Iskander-K cruise missile, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Tuesday.
Nine Shaheds and an Iskander-K missile were successfully intercepted, Ukrainian forces said.
In the past 24 hours, at least five Ukrainian civilians were killed and another 10 were injured in the southeastern regions of the country, the presidential office reported on Tuesday.
Civilians are victims of Russian strikes on an almost daily basis.
The United Nations said on Tuesday that more than 10,000 people have been killed since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion. people, including more than 560 children, and more than 18.5 thousand were injured.
The UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine noted that the actual death toll is likely to be much higher because of the difficulty in verifying the death toll.
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#commemorate #tenth #anniversary #Maidan #Michelis #Pistorius #Sandu #visiting #Ukraine
2024-09-06 17:13:36
High-Ranking Officials Reassure Ukraine of Western Support Amidst Ongoing Conflict with Russia
As the world’s attention remains fixed on the Middle East and Ukraine, high-ranking officials from Western nations have been making trips to Kyiv to reaffirm their military and political support for the country amidst its ongoing conflict with Russia. The visits come at a crucial time, as Ukraine marks the 10th anniversary of the Maidan Square protests, which played a significant role in shaping the country’s current political landscape.
A Decade of Euromaidan and Its Aftermath
On Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky linked the historic pro-democracy protests in Kyiv a decade ago to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of his country, calling the Maidan Square demonstrations the “first victory” in the war against Russia. The protests, which took place in 2013, were sparked by then-President Viktor Yanukovych’s refusal to sign an association agreement with the European Union. The movement ultimately led to the ousting of Yanukovych and paved the way for Ukraine’s current pro-European trajectory.
Western Support for Ukraine
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among the high-ranking officials who visited Kyiv to demonstrate their support for Ukraine. Pistorius met with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov at military training grounds, where they watched sniper exercises together. The German Defense Minister pledged continued support for Ukraine and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Meanwhile, von der Leyen welcomed Ukraine’s desire for freedom and its request to join the 27-nation European Union in a video message. She stressed that Ukraine’s future lies in the EU, adding that the country’s progress towards membership has been significant since Russian forces invaded in February last year.
Advancements on the Eastern Front
Ukraine has recently claimed to have recaptured several kilometers of land on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, which is the de facto
