On the first anniversary of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the European Union ambassador, head of missions of EU member states and like-minded nations, along with Ukraine Charge d'Affaires Ivan Konovalov on Friday held a meeting to commemorate the victims.
The envoys observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to the victims of the ongoing military conflict.
Adam Burakowski, Poland's ambassador to India, condemned the Russian offensive against Ukraine. Speaking to ANI, Burakowski said Poland has been providing all kinds of support to Ukraine. "Poland condemns the Russian aggression against Ukraine from the day one. We offer all kind of support to Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine from day one. We have received millions of refugees from Ukraine and we are supporting Ukraine also by giving them all kinds of help, humanitarian, but also military. We are supporting them with weapons and we are really making this war. We are really informing all the world about this war, which is absolutely unacceptable," Burakowski told ANI.
He added, "This is unprovoked and unjustified aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and Russia is the only responsible country for this aggression. And we know that Ukraine will win and we are helping Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine."
Speaking to ANI, Jan Thesleff, Sweden's Ambassador to India, said, "Today is a very sad commemoration. It's a commemoration of an aggression that was unprovoked and brutal and illegal that started on the 24 February one year ago."
Thesleff added, "So today, we commemorate this. We commemorate especially all the victims that have fallen due to this aggression. So it's a day of sadness, but it's also a day of hope in the sense that today here in Delhi, embassies I'm representing Sweden and the EU presidency, but also together with all the EU member states are gathering in solidarity with the people and government of Ukraine."
Diana Mickeviciene, Lithuanian ambassador to India, said her country stands firmly with Ukraine. Speaking to ANI, Mickeviciene said the people in her homeland have been raising millions of euros to help Ukrainians survive harsh winter.
"My country and me personally would like to register our outright full support to Ukraine's territorial integrity, independence and Ukraine's right to defend itself. We are Lithuanian government, Lithuanian people firmly stand behind this effort and we are helping as much as we can government, but also the people who have been raising millions of euros to help Ukrainians survive harsh winter," Diana Mickeviciene told ANI.
"We're doing this because we know that Ukraine is defending not just themselves, but ourselves because Russia is in fact a last colonial project on Earth. It's the last empire that not only refuses to recognize that tag but actually tries to perpetuate it," she added.
Claiming that "Ukraine will win", Mickeviciene said, "So for us, it's our war and we are standing together with Ukraine and we will win. And I think the fallout of that is that we are emerging just stronger and Russia is weakening itself and going on the self-destruction path which we can help."
Ukrainian Charge d'Affaires Ivan Konovalov said as a trustable partner, Ukraine counts on India's support and the abstention of India at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday is a 'sensitive issue' for them.
"The resolution was adopted and the position of India of abstention is definitely for us a sensitive issue. We hope and count on India's support and we definitely have a trustable relationship and hope that it will help us in the future," Konovalov told ANI.
Calling India's G20 Presidency as a window of opportunity to end the war, the Ukrainian envoy said he hoped Ukraine will be on the talks table at the meeting of the grouping later this year.
"During the G20 Presidency of India, it is very much important to have India's support for Ukraine. We hope that in the framework of G20, Ukraine will be participating and the topic of Ukraine will be definitely on the table. We see the G20 presidency of India a window of opportunity to stop this war, to end this war and to win this war," the Ukrainian envoy said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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