Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen the first inaugural Ukrainian Order of Europe for “outstanding personal merit in supporting Ukraine’s strategic course towards full membership in the European Union.”
In what could be seen as a swipe on the incident that saw the Polish President strip Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest civilian award, the Ukrainian President added, “this is an award that no one and nothing can ever revoke or take away, because Ukraine’s word is solid.”
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s future “must be peaceful and European,” as he recalls that amid Russian attacks on Kyiv, he formally applied for Ukraine to join the EU in late February 2022. “I remember well who was a sceptic, and who truly never doubted Ukraine and our people,” he said, thanking von der Leyen for her continuous support.
“We are sure in that because Ukraine and Europe are one and … Ukraine is not alone, and everybody who helps us walk this road is especially valued by Ukraine.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
This came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen went to Kyiv to mark Ukraine’s annual Statehood Day, as it holds out against Russia’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion. Statehood Day, celebrating the country’s self-determination, is a public holiday in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s sovereignty has been threatened since Russian forces occupied Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 and Moscow illegally annexed the peninsula, followed eight years later by the all-out invasion of February 2022.
The war has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, forced millions to flee their homes, reduced Ukrainian cities to rubble and fueled fears the confrontation could slide into an open conflict between Russia and NATO, whose member nations have supported Kyiv. No peace settlement is in sight.
Von der Leyen thanked Zelenskyy for the award, and said that it is “an unspeakable honour” for her.
“There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be for this occasion than here in Saint Michael’s Square, because this square is the living testament to this great nation and its unbreakable spirit. From the golden dome of the monastery behind me to the monument of Princess Olga, it symbolises Ukraine’s iconic and central place in Europe’s culture and history. From the memorial to the victims of Holodomor to the wall of Remembrance for the fallen, it speaks to Ukraine’s struggle and sacrifice, its eternal fight for freedom and liberty. This yearning for freedom runs deep in the history and in the very soul of Ukraine.”
Ursula von der Leyen
She also said that “Ukraine is an integral part of that [European] story.” She added that “today Ukraine’s fight is not only a fight for your own freedom, but an existential fight for self-determination.”
Senior officials from southeastern European countries also were expected in Kyiv on Wednesday for a periodic gathering focused on Black Sea and regional security. Last year’s meeting in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa reaffirmed the countries’ support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recently won important pledges of further support, including from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations and the so-called Coalition of the Willing countries.
Von der Leyen Announces New Defence Partnership With Ukraine
Moreover, Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukraine has “gone from being a buyer to a net security provider in Europe,” as she set out a new EU-Ukraine Defence Industrial Partnership deal to make the most of Ukraine’s frontline experiences. “What we are signing today is our very own drone deal,” she said.
Von der Leyen, the European Union’s top official, said her trip to the Ukrainian capital was her 11th in wartime. Europe is watchful of Russia’s broader intentions on the continent and has provided billions of euros (dollars) to Ukraine as well as diplomatic support.
Von der Leyen said she would announce new steps toward integrating the European and Ukrainian defense industries as well as providing new help to prepare Ukrainian air defenses for next winter, when Russia usually tries to knock out the power. “It’s a special moment,” Von der Leyen said of her visit on social media, adding, “Ukraine has built a strong military momentum. The tide is turning.”
Her visit came as Western officials and analysts say Ukraine’s increasingly frequent and accurate drone and missile attacks are hitting high-profile targets deep inside Russia, severely disrupting the Russian army’s supply lines and causing civilian fuel shortages.
In Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defenses overnight intercepted 93 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, as well as over Crimea and the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
Ukrainian officials said today that at least eight civilians were killed and 11 others were injured in Russian aerial attacks. The Head of the regional military administration Oleh Hryhorov said that Russian forces dropped six powerful glide bombs mostly targeting infrastructure in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, killing three people and wounding seven.
Three people were killed and three others wounded in a Russian attack on Odesa, according to the head of the city’s military administration, Serhii Lysak. Also, in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, Russian drone attacks killed two people and seriously wounded an 18-year-old, regional military administration head, Viacheslav Chaus said.
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