The president of the republic this Thursday addressed his colleague Volodymyr Zelensky and the military in Ukrainian to ensure that Portugal will always support the independence of the country that has been fighting a Russian invasion for a year and a half.
“Congratulations, Ukraine! Portugal will always be and still is your independence,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence celebrations in Kiev.
To the surprise of all the guests, the army and even the President of Ukraine, the Portuguese head of state carried out the entire intervention, which lasted just over a minute, in Ukrainian and was applauded several times.
The president of the republic added that supporting Ukraine is essential for a future of Europe that will be one of security: “Without your legitimate defense, there will be no peace and security in Europe.”
And the future, in the perspective of the President of the Republic, will be “in the European Union and in NATO”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa ended his short speech with “a hug to all the courageous and indomitable Ukrainian people”.
“Long live the independence of Ukraine. Long live the brotherhood between Portugal and Ukraine,” he concluded.
Zelensky says there will never be more pauses in the country’s history
The president of Ukraine, on the other hand, defended that “there will be no more pauses in Ukraine’s history” and that the idea of a common European home without the country is an “unfinished project”.
“There will be no more pauses in the history of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelensky said at the start of a ceremony to hand over the awards on the Ukrainian Independence Day.
Zelensky added that there were times in the past when there was a lack of unity among Ukrainians and the occupation was the result.
We will never leave her again [a independência] slip out of our hands!”
Ukraine has achieved permanent and uninterrupted independence.
In front of hundreds of soldiers and civilians who attended the ceremony in Kiev, the Ukrainian president said that today “the majority of the world is behind Ukraine” and that the country cannot pass up this opportunity and allow it to be divided again .
And he left a warning for the heads of state present at the ceremony, including Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa: “Our common European home without Ukraine is an unfinished project”.
Ukraine today celebrates Independence Day, the same date as 18 months of the Russian military offensive against the country, which began on February 24, 2022.
The date, which this year marks the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence – declared on August 24, 1991, shortly before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, of which the country was a part – is marked by restrictions and additional security measures. the country, due to fears of more Russian attacks, which have increased in recent weeks.
Updated.
Source: DN
