Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (from left) attend the outbreak of war in Ukraine on the 24th (local time). To celebrate the 2nd anniversary, I attended an event held at Hostomel Airport in Kiev, Ukraine. /AP Yonhap News
On the 24th, the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, which broke out due to Russia’s full-scale invasion, some leaders of the Western G7 (seven countries) and the European Union (EU) made a surprise visit to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and expressed unwavering support and solidarity for Ukraine. The G7 leaders held the first summit of the year via video conference here and reaffirmed indefinite and unlimited support until the end of the war in Ukraine, saying, “We will provide support no matter how long it takes.” He issued a strong warning against North Korea and Iran, which support Russia’s acts of aggression.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander Dicro, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kiev that day. Italy and Canada are the G7 chair and member countries, respectively, and Belgium is the EU chair for the first half of this year. They arrived by train from Poland the night before and laid flowers at the ‘Memorial Wall’ commemorating the Ukrainian war dead in the square in front of the St. Michael’s Monastery in downtown Kiev. He then visited Hostomel Airport, northwest of Kiiu, which was in ruins after being occupied by the Russian army at the beginning of the war, and expressed his will to fight.
On behalf of the G7, Prime Minister Meloni reaffirmed the uninterrupted supply of weapons, saying, “We will continue to support Ukraine, and this inevitably means military support.” He also expressed his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for ‘peace negotiations’ based on the premise of maintaining occupied territory in Ukraine, saying, “Surrender under the guise of peace is never acceptable.” Prime Minister Trudeau also took aim at Putin, who is suspected of assassinating Russian opposition leader and political enemy Alexei Navalny, saying, “A truly strong leader who is not pretending to be strong does not assassinate his opponents.”
On this day, the G7 held a video conference in Kiev, attended by the remaining G7 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan, and adopted a joint statement. In a statement, the leaders called for Russia’s complete and unconditional withdrawal from occupied Ukraine. It also condemned countries that support Russia’s illegal acts of aggression, such as North Korea and Iran, and expressed serious concerns about military materials being imported into Russia through third countries such as China. On the 23rd, the EU implemented its 13th sanctions against Russia and placed North Korea, which traded arms with Russia, on its sanctions list for the first time.
Separate statements from member state leaders also followed. U.S. President Joe Biden said, “The Ukrainian people must receive more supplies from the United States to protect themselves from Russia’s merciless attacks,” and added, “Russia’s attacks were made possible by support of ammunition and weapons from North Korea and Iran.” It put pressure on the passage of the additional support budget for Ukraine, which has been delayed due to opposition from the U.S. Republican Party, and emphasized sanctions against countries that help Russia. The United States also announced 500 large-scale new sanctions targeting Russia and third countries.
Britain’s King Charles III also made an unusual statement, saying, “Ukrainians are showing incredible courage and determination even in the midst of great hardship and suffering,” and “I offer my heartfelt condolences to all who have been affected.” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took aim at Putin and said, “Dictatorship can never win.” French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Ukraine is fighting for Europe, and our commitment to Ukraine will not waver,” and warned, “Putin should not try to rely on Europeans’ war fatigue.”
On this day, Ukraine signed additional security agreements with Italy, Canada, and Denmark. Through this agreement, Canada promised military and financial support of 3 billion Canadian dollars (about 3 trillion won), and Denmark promised 8.5 billion euros (about 12 trillion won) in military and financial support. Britain, which became the first major Western country to sign a security agreement with Ukraine earlier this year, also announced additional military support of $300 million (about 400 billion won) on this day. This money will be mainly used to expand Ukraine’s ammunition production capacity. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced on this day, “We plan to conclude a security agreement with Ukraine in the near future.”
Ukraine’s leadership pledged its will to fight. President Zelensky said, “Everyone wants the war to end quickly, but no one wants Ukraine to be defeated,” and emphasized, “The war must end with a fair peace on the terms we want.” He emphasized, “We will definitely win.” This means that they will not give in to Putin, who is showing off his nuclear power every day and pressuring them to negotiate. Oleksandr Sirsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, also said, “Light always overcomes darkness,” and “We will take revenge.”
Meanwhile, Russia commemorated the second anniversary of the Ukraine War by setting off fireworks throughout Russia on the 23rd to commemorate Defender of the Fatherland Day, a national holiday related to military service. In a video speech, President Putin praised the participants of the ‘special military operation’ (Russia’s term for the Ukraine war) on the front lines as true national heroes, and knelt at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to lay a wreath. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hinted at retaliation against the new EU and US sanctions against Russia, calling them “illegal sanctions (in violation of international law) and interference in internal affairs.”
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2024-02-25 08:11:00
