This August 24, 2022 marks the 31st anniversary of the independence of Ukraine from the USSR, but also the six months of the invasion launched by Russia. On this occasion, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron sent a video message to the Ukrainian population, subtitled in Ukrainian, a “message of friendship, of hope on behalf of the entire French people”.
“This August 24 must be a day of hope, of unity of your people, of unity and hope of Ukraine with the nations that support it,” declares Emmanuel Macron in this sequence. “Hang on, and you know you can count on our support today and tomorrow.”
“It is a day of pride, but instead of all the legitimate festivities, it is the dead and the fighters that we think of today, the courage, the resistance of their people,” he said. Because “exactly six months ago Russia made a fatal decision, that of waging war on her country, on her people, sowing death and destruction.”
“We mobilize today and we will mobilize tomorrow”
Emmanuel Macron salutes in his message the resistance of the Ukrainian population to the Russian attack: Russia “thought of waging a lightning and crushing war, it had measured neither your unity nor your courage”.
Recalling France’s mobilization for Kyiv on an economic, humanitarian and military level, he assures that “we continue and will continue” coming to the aid of the Ukrainians”. He announces in passing that in a few days a Marseille ship will leave for Ukraine with “food, medical equipment and emergency rehabilitation” on board.
“We are mobilizing today and we will mobilize tomorrow to help the military resistance of Ukraine and the Ukrainians and to help rebuild tomorrow”, promises the President of the Republic. “Defending the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine is defending the stability of our world, denying that international relations can be governed by violence and chaos.”
This independence day comes in a context of high tension, Ukraine fears possible “disgusting Russian provocations”. The US embassy in Kyiv also warned of possible Russian bombardment “in the coming days” and urged US citizens to leave the country immediately.
Source: BFM TV
