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Zelenskyy proud of the 'absolute heroism of Ukrainians'
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told his country’s people on Monday that he was proud of their ‘absolute heroism’ in fighting and living in the war that Russia started with its full-scale invasion exactly three years ago.
“Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians. I am proud of Ukraine!” Zelenskiy said in a post with a video showing the life of ordinary Ukrainians on the frontlines and in daily activities during the war.
“Thank you to everyone who protects and helps it.”
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Here are some images from Irpin, to the north-west of Kyiv, where a memorial service is being held today.
Micheál Martin: important to remember that even after three years 'Russia has not achieved its objectives'
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said it is important to remember that, after three years of war, “Russia has not achieved the objectives that it set itself when it illegally invaded Ukraine”. He said “We need to remember that, and take solace and strength from that, because the unity of the resistance has had an impact.”
Ireland’s leader went on to say “What we must now resolve is to ensure that Russia is never rewarded for what it did three years ago. “
Martin said:
For a small country like Ireland, the international rules based order is ultimately the only basis for our security. And that is why the war, [where] Ukraine has been defending its integrity and sovereignty, is so important for small nations all over the world. You are protecting and fighting to uphold the principles of the UN charter, in terms of sovereignty and integrity, but also in terms of rules based order. And in that context, Europe has been unified, has been firm so far, and we in Ireland stand with you.
He said Ireland would support further sanctions against Russia and that “those who engage in illegal and brutal invasions, and who breach the very basics of international rules and sovereignty, have to know that ultimately there has to be a price for the destruction.”
Ireland, which has a longstanding policy of neutrality would, he said “contribute more financially on all fronts and in all areas.”
While the “Support Ukraine” event in Kyiv continues, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has been in Turkey, where he earlier gave a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Russian state media has just issued a picture of Lavrov subsequently being received for a meeting with president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre has just raised some wry laughter in the room in Kyiv by saying that the Europe involved in this debate is more than just the EU27, then adding as an aside in a clear dig at Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, “perhaps not all 27.”
His broader point was that any resolution to the conflict would also rely on Norway and the UK from outside the EU, he said “Turkey has to be in the equation”, and he raised Canada’s assistance too – also sparking laughter with a joke about Donald Trump’s North American expansionist comments by suggesting “We are buying Canada so we can get them back.”
He had a serious point though, saying that Europe cannot simply “moan its way to the table”, and that the only way to get US president Donald Trump to take its demands seriously would be to come from a position of strength.
He raised the risk that Europe would have a divided voice, saying “for this larger group, we have to come together and make things meaningful. [French president Emmanuel] Macron is in Washington today. [UK prime minister Keir] Starmer in another few days, but we have to bring this together. Because if we don’t, there is not a European voice and then we are simply much weaker.”
Starmer: Trump has 'changed the global conversation' and 'created an opportunity'
Speaking via video link to world leaders gathered in Kyiv, the UK’s prime minister has said that recent comments by US president Donald Trump had “changed the global conversation” and “created an opportunity.”
He told the “Support Ukraine” event in Kyiv:
We must bring our collective strength to the peace effort. President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks, and it has created an opportunity.
Now we must get the fundamentals right. If we want peace to endure, Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees.
Starmer went on to repeat an offer he has previously made, that the UK would be willing to put peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine to maintain the integrity of any peace deal. He said:
The UK is ready and willing to support this with troops on the ground, with other Europeans, and with the right conditions in place. And ultimately, a US backstop will be vital to deter Russia from launching another invasion in just a few years time.
Starmer: people in the UK are with Ukraine 'today and every day'
Describing today as “this grim anniversary” of “Russia’s barbaric invasion”, the UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, and said everybody in the UK “from his majesty the king, to the NHS workers volunteering in hospitals in Ukraine, to the communities that took Ukrainian refugees to their hearts” is with Ukraine “today and every day”.
He said “We’ve been full of admiration for the incredible response of the Ukrainian people. Their voices must be at the heart of the drive for peace.”
Saying it was a “time for unity”, he said “we believe in Ukraine today, and the country’s incredible potential to thrive in the years to come,” adding “we will always stand with Ukraine, and with our allies, against this aggression, and for a just and lasting peace.”
He said the UK was providing more military support in 2025 than ever before.
Pedro Sánchez, prime minister of Spain, has said “The Ukrainian people can count on Spain,” and “rest assured, we will be with you as long as it takes and as much as you need.”
He said “Difficult months lie ahead, but I am convinced that at the end of this terrible period, freedom and democracy will prevail over violence and authoritarianism,” and “Whatever happens in the coming months, Ukrainians accession to the European Union is the most important victory for the Ukrainian people.”
Promising “we will not let you down when you need us the most,” he announced a military support package worth, he said, €1bn.
Alexander Schallenberg, speaking in Kyiv, has said that “Being neutral doesn’t prevent Austria to having a very clear stance on this issue.”
The Austrian chancellor said “It is clear this brutal war must stop. The earlier the better. And like any war, it has to end at the negotiating table, with all parties concerned sitting at the table. But it must not end under any circumstances – and I don’t believe it will – as an imposed peace.”
He continued by saying “One thing has to be crystal clear. Negotiations on Ukraine must include Ukraine, just as talks on the European security must include all concerned parties in Europe. We will continue, as Austria, to support all serious efforts towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Olha Stefanishyna, the Ukrainian minister with responsibility for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, has said Ukraine and the US are in the final stages of negotiations on a minerals deal.
On Sunday night, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted he would not cave to US pressure to sign away $500bn of Ukraine’s minerals, arguing the demand was far higher than the US’s actual military contribution of $100bn and said “I’m not signing something that ten generations of Ukrainians are going to pay later.”
Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister, has told the “Support Ukraine” event in Kyiv that Europe only has a couple of months to take decisions on defence spending, and that inviting Ukraine into Nato was “the strongest security guarantee, the easiest way forward [and] the cheapest way forward.”
In a clear reference to US president Donald Trump, Frederiksen said “I know that some allies are against this,” continuing by saying “therefore I ask the question, if we cannot give [Ukraine] membership of Nato – and I think it’s the only way forward – then we have to find another way to provide Ukraine with a clear, long term security guarantee.”
She said Europe had to step up arms production, and stated that “a ceasefire without a sustainable peace will cause a lot of danger to all of us”. She said that she did not think spending 3% of GDP on defence would be enough, adding “My guess is that we have a couple of months to take all necessary decisions. Otherwise we’ll be too late, and being too late cannot be the conclusion. It’s time to stand up for Ukraine, and it’s time to stand up for Europe.”
Frederiksen said:
I have never believed that this war is primarily about Ukraine. You are paying the price for it, but this war is about Russia. It’s about the imperial dream, and therefore I find it very difficult to trust Putin and to trust Russia. And it goes without saying that nothing should be negotiated without Ukraine, not only at the table, but in the centre of the table.
In a joint statement, the president of the European parliament Roberta Metsola, the president of the European council António Costa, and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen have said “in a challenging international and geopolitical environment, we stress the importance of maintaining transatlantic and global solidarity with Ukraine.”
Paying tribute to those who had lost lives in the conflict, and saying that “Russia and its people are paying a price for their leader’s actions,” the statement said:
Three years ago Russia started its full-scale and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia’s brutal war deliberately targets civilian and critical infrastructure. Russia and its leadership bear sole responsibility for this war and the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian population. We continue to call for accountability for all war crimes and crimes against humanity committed.
The European Union will continue to provide Ukraine with regular and predictable financial support, including reconstruction of the country after the war. We have taken unprecedented actions at the EU level to ramp up European defence industry production, and we will continue to increase our capacity. This will allow us to step up our military support and cooperation with Ukraine while simultaneously strengthening our defence readiness and European sovereignty.
You can watch the “Support Ukraine” event being held in Kyiv today with world leaders on this video feed.
Putin and Xi hold call in which Russian president gave update on US-Russia talks
Tass reports that Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has spoken by phone to China’s president Xi Jinping. The state-owned news agency said that Putin informed his Chinese counterpart about the recent talks between the US and Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Lisa O'Carroll
Ireland is to donate part of its ageing defence systems to Ukraine in a significant change in its contributions to the war effort.
As the war enters its fourth year it will donate at least three of its seven Giraffe radar surveillance trucks.
Due to its policy of neutrality, Ireland has participated proportionally in the EU contribution to Kyiv, but with the money ringfenced for “non-lethal” purposes such as diesel for artillery vehicles and landmine sweeping.
The department of defence told the Irish Times “In terms of the Giraffe system, we are waiting on arrangements with the Ukrainian armed forces in relation to their acceptance of the systems and the provision of training.”
The government will not be donating the linked ground-to-air missile launchers in line with its non-lethal aid policy.
Foreign minister Simon Harris, who is in Brussels today to meet his counterparts said continued support for Ukraine is a “necessity” and “not a choice.
Speaking from Moscow, the Sky News correspondent Ivor Bennett has told viewers of the news channel that the mood in Moscow in recent days has shifted to being triumphant, but there are no formal events marking the anniversary of the invasion.
He said it was not a milestone that president Vladimir Putin would have wanted to reach, and authorities are not inclined to draw attention to Russia’s losses during the conflict. He continued:
The mood in Moscow, certainly in the last couple of weeks, is much more triumphant. They’re really kind of doubling down on this narrative that they are in this existential struggle against the west, that they are the victims, and that things are now going their way.
You’ve got a sense of that this morning from the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov. Responding to the news that Europe and the UK have launched another round of sanctions, he said that Europe continues to follow the path of sanctions and the conviction of continuing the war. Very much casting Russia themselves as the peacemakers here, and Europe as the aggressors.
And you get the sense that they are really enjoying their kind of newfound status as the ones calling the shots with peace talks looming, because in Donald Trump, they appear to have found an ally.
Russia [is] very much in the ascendancy, even though they did not want to reach this three year anniversary.
Keir Starmer said on Monday that the west faces a “once-in-a-generation moment”, as he marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The UK’s prime minister said “Three years on from Putin’s barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we face a once-in-a-generation moment for our collective security and values. We continue to stand with Ukraine for a just and lasting peace.”
Outgoing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “a war on our way of life, a war on democracy, on the rule of law and self determination, a war on justice, a war on truth” and condemned what he called Russia’s “disgusting war crimes”.
Speaking in Kyiv he said “Ukrainians will triumph because Ukrainians are fighting for what is right, but they cannot and should not do it alone.”
He said: “Ukrainians have lost their lives fighting courageously for their land, children [have been] taken from their families and homes and communities, which is a disgusting war crime.”
He said prisoners of war taken by Russia had been subject to violence.
