Monday, 23 December 2024
Monday, 23 December 2024
In the capital Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored soldiers from Ukraine's armed forces who have been at the forefront of the defense of Ukraine in an emotional ceremony. Medals were also handed out medals to family members of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainians are holding memorials and commemoration events marking a year since it was invaded by Russian forces.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that there will be a victory for the people of Ukraine this year.
Zelenskyy said in a Twitter post that on February 24, one year ago, millions of Ukrainians made a choice. "Not a white flag, but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing but facing. Resisting and fighting," Zelenskyy said in a tweet posted with a video showing snapshots of the trauma Ukrainians have faced, but also the staunch level of resistance.
A destroyed T-72 was parked opposite the Russian Embassy in Berlin to mark a year since President Vladimir Putin's military invaded Ukraine. The Russian tank was brought from Ukraine through Poland on the back of a flatbed truck by the German Story Bunker museum.
"We want to put their junk back in front of the terrorists. They have murdered, looted, displaced millions of people, and they just keep going every day," Wieland Giebel curator at the museum, said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led the UK in a "national moment of reflection" joined by wife Akshata Murty, as the first couple hung a blue and yellow wreath in the colours of the Ukrainian flag on the door of 10 Downing Street on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The British Indian leader was accompanied by military personnel in Downing Street for the one-minute national silence at 11 am GMT to pay tribute to the "bravery and courage" of the Ukrainians who have been fighting on the frontlines since the conflict began on February 24 last year.
A powerful service at the Ukrainian Catholic Church in London this morning. We paid tribute to all those who have lost their lives in the year since Putin launched his illegal and horrific invasion.
NATO issued a statement on Friday marking the one year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. "We pay tribute to the lives lost, and we deplore the tragic human suffering and destruction, including of Ukraine’s residential areas and civilian and energy infrastructure, caused by Russia’s illegal war," the defense alliance said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden promised new military aid for Ukraine worth $500 million during a surprise visit to Kyiv on February 20, almost a year to the day since Russia's invasion.
In a trip showing solidarity with Kyiv, Biden also said additional sanctions would be announced this week against the Russian elite and companies trying to evade sanctions to“back the Russian war machine”. The military aid package will include artillery ammunition, anti-armour systems and air surveillance radars“to help protect the Ukrainian people from aerial bombardments,” he said.
Australia's Sydney Opera House and Pari's Eiffel Tower lit up in the color of the Ukraine flag to show solidarity with Ukraine.
The G7 leading industrialized economies planned to unveil a new package of sanctions against Russia during a meeting hosted by Japan on Friday. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday the leaders will discuss "how we continue supporting Ukraine" and ways to increase pressure on Russia.
China, a firm Russian ally, has called for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Moscow and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal to end the conflict. The plan issued on Friday morning by the Foreign Ministry also urges the end of Western sanctions imposed on Russia, measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused global food prices to spike.
A vast majority of UN General Assembly members on Thursday voted in favor of a motion put forward by Germany calling for peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.
There were 141 votes in favor and 32 abstentions. Six countries joined Russia to vote no - Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, and Syria. The resolution calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.
