Three years after the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine still stands, said Ariadne Petridis, Belgium’s permanent representative to NATO, in a video message on X.
On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine, hoping to swiftly conquer the smaller nation with fewer resources.
"Three days, thought Putin. Three days and Ukraine will be mine. They will welcome me with bread and salt, thought Putin," said Petridis. "Three days have become three years."
"For Ukrainians, every day is now 24 February. And why? Because Putin does not understand that Ukrainians are not Russians? Because Putin does not understand that Ukrainians do not want to kneel before the tsar?"
Petridis lauded the fact that Ukraine still stands three years later. "Ukraine has not perished, nor has its glory and freedom."
The video concludes with the message that Belgium stands with Ukraine. This was mirrored by several world leaders, including Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Denmark's Mette Frederiksen, Lithuania's Gitanas Nausėda and Canada's Justin Trudeau, during a special summit hosted in Kyiv to mark the anniversary.
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They all spoke to reaffirm their solidarity with Ukraine and made new pledges of financial and military support.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is on her ninth visit to Kyiv since the start of the full-scale invasion, unveiled a €3.5 billion package of EU financial assistance in her remarks.
