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“We’re here today to say thank you to the men and women who fought instead of running away on February 24, two years ago,” Meloni said. “This place is a symbol of Moscow’s failure and a symbol of Ukrainian pride.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hugged Western leaders and gave a televised address with the damaged plane in the background.
“Two years ago we were here in a firefight with enemy soldiers, and two years later we are here meeting our friends, our partners,” he said.
“Every ordinary person wants the war to end. But none of us will allow the end of our Ukraine,” he added. “In future history, the word “independence” will always stand next to the word “Ukraine.”
Outside Kiev, the war continued unabated.
A Russian drone struck the port of Odesa for the second night in a row, hitting a residential building and killing one person, the regional governor announced. In Dnipropetrovsk, a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building, and rescue efforts found two people dead.
Meanwhile, sources in Kiev said a Ukrainian drone caused a fire at a Russian steel factory. Russian authorities identified the factory in Lipetsk, about 400 kilometers from Ukraine, as responsible for about 18% of Russia’s production.
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Two years after the Ukraine war: disease, displacement, and demands for aid
Two years after the Ukraine war: disease, displacement, and demands for aid
US aid still blocked
Western countries view this invasion as an unwarranted act of aggression that must be repelled, and it is important for Italy, which currently holds the G7 presidency, to challenge the perception that Russia is tired of the conflict and is winning. said.
The U.S. Senate is expected to pass a bill to support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but the House of Representatives is expected to block it.
The U.S. Senate is expected to pass a bill to support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but the House of Representatives is expected to block it.
Before dawn on February 24, 2022, as Russian tanks and infantry poured across the border, 40 million Ukrainians unexpectedly slowed or halted their advance.
But as the war enters its third year, setbacks in the east have left the Ukrainian military looking vulnerable.
Remembrance day events were planned across Ukraine, including a service to remember those killed in Bucha, north of Kiev, where the conflict’s worst war crimes are believed to have been committed.
Ukraine announced on Friday that it had opened investigations into more than 122,000 suspected war crimes over the past two years, but Russia denies conducting any investigations.
The initial shock of the invasion gradually becomes familiar as the world watches Russia’s early gains and Ukraine’s stunning counterattack in late 2022 gradually give way to a tantalizing trench warfare. Eventually it faded into fatigue.
In scenes reminiscent of the battlefields of World War I, thousands of soldiers were killed under heavy artillery fire, sometimes over several kilometers of land.
Both countries have developed large and sophisticated fleets of air and sea drones for surveillance and attack.
Russia, with a much larger population and larger military budget to replenish its military, may prefer a long war, but the costs will be enormous as it tries to overcome sanctions and increased dependence on China. It has become.
Russia turns to Chinese social media for help as Ukraine war approaches third year
Russia turns to Chinese social media for help as Ukraine war approaches third year
Ukraine’s position
Ukraine’s position is even more precarious. Villages, towns, and cities are destroyed, the military is exhausted, and Russian missile and drone attacks rain down on it almost daily.
Russia captured the eastern town of Avdiivka this month, ending months of deadly urban fighting and scoring its biggest victory in nine months.
Still, Zelensky remained defiant.
“I am convinced that victory awaits us,” he told diplomats in Kyiv this week in an emotional address. “Especially thanks to the solidarity and your support.”
A recent World Bank study estimates that rebuilding Ukraine’s economy could cost close to US$500 billion. Two million homes have been damaged or destroyed, and nearly six million people remain overseas after fleeing the invasion.
In addition to acquiring money and weapons, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is pushing a bill that would allow Ukraine to mobilize up to 500,000 additional troops, which some economists say could cripple the economy. are doing.
Russian finances have so far proven resilient to unprecedented sanctions. While natural gas exports have slumped, oil sales have held up thanks largely to purchases from India and China, and huge defense spending is boosting the economy.
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