World leaders arrive in Kyiv as two years of conflict marked
PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed western leaders to Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, as Ukrainian forces run low on ammunition and weaponry and foreign aid hangs in the balance.
He posted a video from Hostomel airfield with Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, as well as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
“Two years ago, here, we met enemy landing forces with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and our partners here,” Zelenskyy said at the airport just outside Kyiv, which Russian paratroopers unsuccessfully tried to seize in the first days of the war.
“More than ever we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free,” von der Leyen wrote on social media after she arrived in Kyiv.
But on the front line in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for ammunition.
“When the enemy comes in, a lot of our guys die. We are sitting here with nothing,” said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery.
“In order to protect our infantry... we need a high number of shells, which we do not have now,” said Oleksandr, 45, the commander of an artillery unit.
To mark the second anniversary, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, thanked soldiers for their sacrifices and western allies for their support, saying: “Every projectile, every tank, every armoured vehicle is, first of all, saving the life of a Ukrainian soldier.”
Earlier this month, Zelenskyy fired top military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi and replaced him with Col Gen Syrskyi in the most significant shakeup of top brass since the invasion.
Authorities also pointed to successes, including the downing of a Russian early warning and control aircraft on Friday.
If confirmed, it would be the loss of the second such plane in just over a month. The Ukrainian military says Russia uses the aircraft to direct missile attacks.
The war has also come to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in the Lipetsk region in southern Russia yesterday, causing a large fire, regional governor Igor Artamonov said, adding there were no casualties.
Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steel factory in Russia. Videos shared on Russian social media showed several fires burning, and an explosion could be heard.
In the US Congress, Republicans have stalled $60 billion (£47bn) in military aid for Kyiv, desperately needed in the short term.
The EU recently approved a €50bn (£42bn) aid package for Ukraine to support its economy, despite resistance from Hungary.
US President Joe Biden tied the loss of the defensive stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region after months of gruelling battles to the stalled US aid. Fears have since risen that Ukrainian forces will face similar difficulties across other parts of the 620-mile front line.