Three years of war in Ukraine: where do we stand?
Today is the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To mark the anniversary, the highest EU representatives and several Western leaders are visiting Kyiv. Together with host Volodymyr Zelensky they will discuss how to respond to the turnaround in US foreign policy initiated by US President Donald Trump and how to support Ukraine against the advancing Russian troops.
Europe has no choice
Libération weighs in:
“The new US president only understands the present moment and the wads of banknotes waved under his nose: after him, the deluge. But what he fails to recognise is that the deluge could also wash him away if he lets Putin win. Three years on, is it still possible to save Ukraine and Europe from the clutches of the Russian bear? There is no alternative. We must think of the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have died protecting their country, and of those who continue to fight despite their exhaustion. We must also think of Volodymyr Zelensky, who has never shown fear and who on Sunday did not hesitate to put his office on the line if it meant protecting Ukraine.”
Used to western treachery
Kyiv could not rely on the US or Europe even before Donald Trump, The Irish Times points out:
“Trump never forgave Zelenskiy's refusal to investigate the business dealings of former US president Joe Biden's son in Ukraine. ... Trump is not the first western leader to betray Ukraine. The US and Britain were guarantors of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine relinquished its nuclear weapons in exchange for promises of security. Neither budged when Russia seized Crimea. French and German leaders sought to placate Putin. Biden gave Ukraine just enough weapons to keep fighting, but not enough to win.”
Tusk has tabled sound proposals
Jyllands-Posten demands:
“Concrete countermeasures are needed and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently proposed three simple and sensible steps to strengthen the European front against the Kremlin here and now. The first is to increase aid to Ukraine and make the Russians pay for it. Russian assets worth over 200 billion euros have been seized in Europe. ... The second is to strengthen European deterrence against Russia - through increased air patrols and a stronger military presence in the Baltic Sea and on the borders with Russia. Thirdly, rules for the joint financing of defence and security initiatives within the EU must be established as quickly as possible.”
Never give up!
Gordonua.com republishes a message of perseverance posted on Facebook by Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard:
“For eleven years we have been waging a war with limited means against a country that is superior to us in terms of both size and resources. And for three years now, Ukraine has been holding back the full-scale invasion of one of the strongest armies in the world. The daily heroic deeds of Ukrainian soldiers should inspire us and not make us despair, no matter what statements foreign politicians, analysts and experts make. ... Hopelessness begins when people give up fighting for what is theirs under the pressure of circumstances.”