Kyiv, Ukraine — On a momentous day for Ukraine, two Years After the Russian Invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Western leaders to Kyiv as the nation commemorated the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The gathering, held at the historic Mariinsky Palace, underscored the international community’s solidarity with Ukraine in the face of ongoing aggression.
Zelensky posted a video from the Hostomel airfield with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Two Years After the Russian Invasion
“Two years ago, here, we met enemy landing forces with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and our partners here,” Zelensky said at the airport just outside of Kyiv, which Russian paratroopers unsuccessfully tried to seize in the first days of the war.
Read More: Digital News Planet
The Western leaders arrived shortly after a Russian drone attack struck a residential building in the southern city of Odesa, killing at least one. Three women also sustained severe burns in the attack on a residential building Friday evening, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue services combed through the rubble, looking for survivors.
Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven leading economies, announced that the G7 will meet virtually on Saturday with Zelensky and would adopt a joint statement on Ukraine.
“More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, and morally. Until the country is finally free,” von der Leyen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
On the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for ammunition.
“When the enemy comes in, many of our guys die. … We are sitting here with nothing,” said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery.
“In order to protect our infantry … we need a high number of shells, which we do not have now,” said Oleksandr, 45, a commander of an artillery unit. The two officers only gave their first names, citing security concerns.
In a message on the war’s second anniversary, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their sacrifices and Western allies for their support, saying, “Every projectile, every tank, every armored vehicle is, first of all, saving the life of a Ukrainian soldier.”
Earlier this month, Zelensky fired top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi and replaced him with Syrskyi, marking the most significant shakeup of top brass since the full-scale invasion.
Olena Zelenska, the president’s wife, said Saturday that more than 2 million Ukrainian children have left the country since the war began and that at least 528 have been killed. “The war started by Russia deliberately targets children,” she said.
Britain has pledged an additional 8.5 million pounds ($10.8 million) of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, bolstering efforts to provide medical care, food, and essential services to residents as the nation marks the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
