A thousand days since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. A thousand days of suffering, a thousand days of fighting against the enemy, a thousand days of resilience. The main result is that during these thousand days of resistance against an enemy who, let’s face it, has superiority in all possible resources, the Ukrainian people stood their ground. He defended his national sovereignty, preserved his identity, affirmed his desire for freedom and above all – protected the lives of his citizens.
We remember well what Putin had planned for Ukraine. Thanks to the courage of our defenders, we managed to thwart his evil plans. We continued our resistance thanks to the concrete help of our partners. The main cynical and perverse military advantage of the Putin regime is its complete disregard for human life. This advantage is based on deadly assaults, mobilization supported by financial bonuses – fueled, unfortunately, by funds circumventing sanctions, in particular via the sale of energy resources. It is reinforced by the support of other authoritarian regimes which feed the Russian war machine.
Putin’s goal remains to annihilate Ukraine
But Putin will never have two essential elements: the indomitable spirit of the Ukrainians and united and determined allies and partners, as we find, for example, in the French people. Believe me, no people in the world want peace and tranquility as much as the Ukrainian people. After these almost three years of war, of incessant warning sirens, of civilian and military losses, we are exhausted. But our enemy’s objectives leave us no choice. We will never give up and will continue to fight until we end their aggression.
The actions and statements of war criminal Putin and his accomplices clearly show that they do not want peace. Their goal is to annihilate Ukraine and erase all traces of the identity of our people.
Europe must regain its sovereignty
I deeply hope that the existential character of our struggle is fully understood by everyone in Europe and in the world. Today, many are worried about the growing uncertainty on the other side of the Atlantic. On this subject, I would like to highlight two key points. First, this uncertainty had been mentioned by the French president for a while. Unfortunately, it was not heard by everyone – notably by certain European partners. Next, I am convinced that Europe must regain its full sovereignty, particularly in the area of its security. This means strengthening its defense capabilities, consolidating its military industry and its armed forces. Today, Ukraine is a strategic partner for Europe and for France. We already have concrete examples of cooperation between our military industries and collaboration between our armies. This model should inspire all our allies and partners.
In recent days, massive Russian missile and drone attacks have been particularly deadly. The enemy deliberately targets civilian infrastructure and residential buildings. Just yesterday, Russian missiles took the lives of dozens of civilians in Odessa and Sumy.
I implore you: do not consider these human losses as simple statistics. These are lives broken every day, very close to you, on European soil. These tragedies are taking place in a democratic and peaceful country that is now resisting the armies of two nuclear and authoritarian states – Russia and North Korea. The sooner the people of Europe act, the better it will be for us all.
These days, I often think of the words of General de Gaulle, spoken in 1940 to call on the French to unite and liberate their country, then plunged into the darkness of Nazism. In recent years, listening to his speech during the ceremony at Mont Valérien, his words particularly strike me. The General noted that many territories, soldiers and equipment had been lost. But he added with conviction: “France is not alone. It is not alone! It is not alone!”
Today, I hear these same words from our French partners about Ukraine. I am firmly convinced that for the French, these are not mere words, but concrete actions. I sincerely hope that their example will inspire other nations, which sometimes hesitate to take a position as clearly as the French people and their leaders.
* Vadym Omelchenko is the Ukrainian ambassador to France
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