Kyiv. This Tuesday, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, along with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and other European leaders, commemorated the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The commemoration took place at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and was led by religious leaders. In addition to von der Leyen, those present included the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. Leaders from the Baltic and Nordic countries, along with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, also travelled to Ukraine to reiterate their support. Prior to their trip, the leaders of the European Union issued a joint statement asserting that Vladimir Putin’s «war of attrition» tactic is weakening Russia and reaffirming their determination to continue backing Kyiv and applying pressure on the Kremlin. During the day, the European leaders and Zelensky will join a meeting of the ‘Coalition of Volunteers’ via video conference from Kyiv, which is led by France and the United Kingdom and comprises over thirty nations that have agreed to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a potential ceasefire. In a message shared on his X account, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasised the need for the European Union to fulfil its promised financing to Ukraine, which consists of a loan of €90 billion. According to him, Ukraine represents Europe’s first line of defence against Russia.
Four years of war in Ukraine: Zelensky commemorates the start of the Russian invasion in Kyiv with European leaders.
