European leaders in Ukraine and Zelensky pledges "victory" over Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, during a ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of the outbreak of war, that Ukraine will prevail over Russia, while the head of the European Union Commission and the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Belgium attended the ceremony.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged "victory" over Russia on the second anniversary of the start of the war between the two countries.

Zelensky attended the ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of the outbreak of war between the two countries, which was held in Hostoml (northwest of Kiev), one of the villages affected by the war.

Along with Zelensky, the President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Prime Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, Canada, Justin Trudeau, and Alexander De Croo, Belgium, participated in the ceremony.

Four European leaders visited Ukraine to show support and solidarity with it, coinciding with the second anniversary of the outbreak of war.

During his speech at the ceremony, Zelensky said, “Russia’s plan to control Kiev within 3 days began from the village of Hostoml,” adding: “Two years ago, we faced the enemy’s landing forces here with fire, and two years later, we are meeting our friends and partners here.”

The Ukrainian President stated that the village symbolically and meaningfully expresses the “progress” achieved by the Ukrainian army in the two years since February 24, 2022.

He explained that the Ukrainian people continued to stand on their feet during the first 3 days of the outbreak of war, did not fall on the fourth day, and fought on the fifth day.

He added: "Then a month, then 6 months, and now two years, a war for freedom, and as I always say in my speeches, the wonderful people valiantly continue the war for life. They are great people for a great country."

Regarding the fate of the war between Ukraine and Russia that has been going on for two years and entering its third year, Zelensky said that every ordinary person wants the war to end.

He added, "But none of us will allow Ukraine to end," and stressed that if the war were to end, it would be on Ukraine's "conditions."

On the other hand, Russian officials said that they were ready to start peace talks with Ukraine, but the ban imposed by Kiev on contacts with Moscow prevented them from starting.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, conditioning its end on Kiev’s “renunciation” of plans to join military entities, which the latter considers “interference” in its sovereignty  .

US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron urged the need to deliver “urgent” aid to Gaza, and the latter also rejected the occupation attacks on the city of Rafah, at a time when the Chinese relief agency expressed its deep concern about the situation in the region.

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the importance of delivering urgent humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip within the framework of the basic needs of the population.

This came during a phone call between the two presidents, on Saturday, in which they discussed the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.

The statement stated that Biden and Macron stressed their determination to prevent the expansion of clashes in the region.

The two presidents also pointed out the importance of reaching an agreement that would allow the release of detainees in Gaza, and considered that this step “will end the violence and contribute to reducing tension in the region.”

According to the statement, Macron expressed his rejection of the Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah, stressing the necessity of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Chinese concern is grave

In the same context, the Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency (governmental), on Saturday, expressed its deep concern about the situation in the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing a devastating Israeli war, stressing that Beijing is preparing to send a third aid shipment to the region.

The (official) Global Times daily newspaper quoted the relief agency as saying, “China strongly urges the international community to make active efforts to ensure the safe and smooth delivery of aid to the people of Gaza.”

The agency said it was "deeply concerned about the situation in the Gaza Strip."

On Thursday, China's representative to the International Court of Justice, Ma Jinmin, stressed that the Palestinians' use of armed struggle to gain independence from foreign and colonial rule "is legitimate and built on solid foundations in international law."

This came in a speech during hearings held by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, based on a request from the United Nations General Assembly to provide advisory opinions regarding the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Ma Jin, who serves as the legal advisor to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, added that the Israeli occupation violates on several levels the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, which is the legal basis for the Palestinians’ struggle against the occupation to establish their independent state.

As of Saturday, the devastating Israeli war on Gaza left “29,606 martyrs and 69,737 injured, most of them children and women,” in addition to thousands missing under the rubble, and an “unprecedented” humanitarian disaster.

For the first time since its establishment in 1948, Israel is currently being tried before the International Court of Justice, the highest judicial body in the United Nations, on charges of committing “genocide” crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza.