Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen arrived in Kiev on Wednesday, where he expressed his support for the “brave Ukrainian people” just weeks before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have not forgotten Ukraine. We’re with the president [Volodymyr] Zelensky and the brave Ukrainian people. Together we defend European values,” wrote Van der Bellen in a post published on the social network Twitter.
The Austrian president, independent but from the Os Verdes party, declared on his arrival on Ukrainian territory that his visit to Kiev has a “deliberate aim to show solidarity” with Ukraineaccording to a video released by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
in here # busI mourn every life destroyed by this terrible war of aggression.
These crimes against humanity, against everything we stand for, must not be forgotten and must not go unpunished. (vdb) pic.twitter.com/UdRBhZ59Bd
– A. Van der Bellen (@vanderbellen) February 1, 2023
Van der Bellen’s visit coincided with that of the Deputy Speaker of the German Federal Parliament (Bundstag), Katrin Göring-Eckardt, of the Greens, partners in the government coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which includes social democrats, environmentalists and liberals. .
Ukraine “belongs to the European family,” said the German politician, expressing support for Kiev’s aspirations to join the European Union (EU) “once it meets the formal criteria to officially join”.
The Russian military offensive was launched on February 24, 2022 with the argument presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin that it was necessary to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security.
Moscow’s action was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions on Russia.
Source: DN
