FORMER Prime Minister Boris Johnson has arrived in Ukraine on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Johnson joins a long list of dignitaries who have arrived in Ukraine to show their support for the embattled nation.
X/ @BorisJohnsonFormer Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he has arrived in Ukraine[/caption]
AlamyBoris Johnson has offered his unwavering support for the nation[/caption]
“On this grim second anniversary of Putin’s invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine,” Johnson said in a post on X.
“With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putin’s forces – provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need.”
It comes alongside reaffirmed support from the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Sunak said last night that Britain was prepared to do “whatever it takes” and has promised a staggering £250m towards the production of artillery shells.
He said: “This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow.
“We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail.”
The UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has also warned allies against compromising over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the UN general assembly on Friday, Cameron said: “Two years on, I recognise some want a rethink. There is a sense of fatigue. There are other problems.
“A compromise might seem attractive. But this is wrong. We must recognise the cost of giving up.
“Putin has said there will be no peace until Russia’s goals have been achieved.
“And in his latest interview, he studiously avoided confirming he was satisfied with the land seized from Ukraine at present.”
The Foreign Secretary added: “This is not a man seeking compromise. Rather, this is a neo-imperialist bully who believes that might is right.
Foreign dignitaries in Ukraine
Joining Johnson in Ukraine is the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The western leader took to X to express her solidarity shortly after her arrival.
She said: “In Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the 2nd year of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“And to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people.
“More than ever, we stand firmly by Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free.”
Also in Ukraine are the prime ministers of Italy, Canada, and Belgium.
The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is set to host a conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky later on Saturday.
The war in Ukraine
Two years ago, Putin sent a lethal army of troops into Ukraine in an attack that shocked the world.
On Saturday, Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrsky has said he still believes that “light” will triumph over “darkness”.
“I am convinced that unity is our victory. And it will definitely happen. Because light always conquers darkness!” Syrsky said on social media.
The Ukrainian army chief recalled how few believed that Ukraine could fend off a Russian advance in the first days of the war in 2022.
He said: “When thousands of columns of Russian invaders moved from all directions into Ukraine, when thousands of missiles and bombs fell on our land, no one in the world believed that we would survive.
“No one believed, but Ukraine did! It believed, accepted the battle and survived.”
The army chief went on to praise Ukraine’s fallen soldiers and the efforts of their troops – who have been able to liberate land in the northeast and in the south.
He added that, two years on, Ukraine remains determined to fight.
Since war broke out, at least 302,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the front line.
A further 70,000 Ukrainian troops and at least 10,000 civilians have also been killed, although it is feared that number is likely far higher.
Horror war crimes committed in Ukraine after Putin launched invasion
UKRAINIAN officials believe there have been more than 100,000 cases of war crimes committed by Russian forces since February 2022.
On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on the war against Ukraine found that Putin’s cronies were responsible for the abduction and deportation of tens of thousands of children.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have also been found responsible for the torture and murder of thousands of Ukrainian civilians – alongside countless rapes.
The Russian despot has denied targeting civilians, but further inquiries into the war found that there have been purposeful missile strikes on civilian refugees, multiple shootings at civilian vehicles, and cases where civilians have been used as human shields.
Ukrainian forces have also alleged that Russia has been using filtration camps, which they describe as “modern day concentration camps”, where masses of Ukrainians have been subjected to electric torture, beatings, stabbings and shootings.
In the annexed regions, there have also been cases of Ukrainian civilians forced into joining the pro-Russian separatist forces.
A Ukrainian soldier in front of a burning building that was hit by Russian airstrikes in AvdiivkaAP
Medics in Ukraine have had to work tirelessly to save their peopleReuters
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