As Ukraine marks its Independence Day as well as six months of the war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed on Wednesday that Ukraine will resist the Russian invasion ‘until the end’ without ‘any concession or compromise.’ Zelenskyy in a video address on Wednesday morning said, ‘We don’t care what army you have, we only care about our land. We will fight for it until the end.’ Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in the early hours of February 24. Zelesnkyy while referring to Russia vowed that Ukraine ‘will not try to find an understanding with terrorists. For us Ukraine is the whole of Ukraine,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the United States will announce an additional security aid of USD 3 billion for Kyiv on Ukraine’s independence day. The funds will reportedly be used to acquire drones, weapons and other military equipment but may not reach the battlefield for a period of a year or two years. The military assistance package will seek to strengthen Ukraine’s medium-and long-term defence readiness amid Russia’s special military operation. The package will also include Western air defence capabilities and a large quantity of ammunition. Generally, there are celebrations on independence day, but this year in view of the ongoing war, gatherings have been banned in the capital Kyiv, where air raid sirens sounded in the morning, and Zelenskyy urged citizens to be on guard against ‘Russian terror.’The war has entered its seventh month and there is no end in sight. Many world leaders on the occasion of Ukraine’s independence day gave their message to the people of Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a video message on Wednesday morning said, ‘People are fighting with steel, with the courage to defend their homes and their families, and to preserve their right to decide their own destiny in their own country.’ ‘However long it takes, the United Kingdom will stand with Ukraine and provide every possible military, economic and humanitarian support.’ Moreover, on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Russia against further attempts to annex Ukrainian territory in the same way it did the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Polish President Andrzej Duda also advised against any ‘appeasement,’ saying, ‘There is no return to business as usual in relations with Russia.’ French President Emmanuel Macron vowed European Union support for Ukraine would continue ‘for the long term.’
Meanwhile, discussions continued on how to protect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, occupied by Russian troops and threatened by shelling, which Moscow blames on Kyiv. The two sides traded accusations at a Tuesday meeting of the UN Security Council on Zaporizhzhia, with Ukraine and its allies demanding Russia pull its troops out of the plant — Europe’s largest nuclear facility — and agree to a demilitarized zone. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a telephonic conversation with French counterpart Catherine Colonna spoke about an expected visit to the plant by inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), amid worries over the high risk of a radiation accident.
IAEA head Rafael Grossi also issued a statement on Tuesday where he deplored that the weekend shelling has further damaged the site. ‘I’m continuing to consult very actively and intensively with all parties so that this vital IAEA mission can take place without further delay,’ he said. It would ‘help stabilize the nuclear safety and security situation at the site and reduce the risk of a severe nuclear accident in Europe.’
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