Ukraine is “not afraid” and will “defend” itself once morest Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, confronted for weeks with the threat of a potential attack lent to Moscow forces.
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“We are not afraid of any prognosis, we are not afraid of anyone (…), because we are going to defend ourselves,” said Mr. Zelensky in Mariupol, a city located in eastern Ukraine, close to the frontline with Moscow-backed pro-Russian separatists.
“We have excellent armed forces” and “we are strong, because we are together, we are Ukrainians”, continued the head of state dressed in military uniform on the occasion of a “Day of unity decreed this Wednesday, the day mentioned by American intelligence as the potential start of the Russian invasion.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Zelensky had attended maneuvers by his army near Rivne, in the west of the country, during which anti-tank weapons delivered by Westerners were notably used for the first time.
“Thank you for defending our state. When I look at you, I have confidence,” he told the soldiers present.
Listen to the column of American political specialist Luc Laliberté on QUB radio:
Westerners have been worried for weeks regarding the risks of an attack on Ukraine by Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops on the borders of this country, an explosive situation at the heart of the worst crisis with Moscow since the end of the Cold War.
After weeks of escalation, Russia, which denies any plan of invasion, announced Tuesday and Wednesday the withdrawal of part of its troops. A decline that Westerners said they had not seen in practice.