In the presence of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the Republic of Latvia Egils Levits, and Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki, statesmen of the partner countries who supported Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion were honored on the Alley of Courage on Constitution Square in Kyiv.
In particular, two new plaques were opened on the Alley of Courage, one of which is dedicated to President of Latvia Egils Levits, and the other to Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki, former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Jarosław Kaczyński, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala and former Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Janša.
"It is here, on the Alley of Courage, that the names of the leaders of the states whose peoples are with us from the beginning to the end, to the victorious end, appear," the President of Ukraine said.
He said that our country will always be grateful to those states and nations who supported us in the most difficult times of the war.
Zelenskyy said that from the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Levits strongly condemned the actions of the Russians, calling them genocide of the Ukrainian people. He said that Ukraine should receive the necessary help to defeat the aggressor. Levits supported the initiative to deprive citizens of Latvia who back the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine of Latvian citizenship.
Today, at a meeting in Kyiv, the President of Latvia presented the Head of the Ukrainian State with the highest military award of the Republic of Latvia – the Order of Viesturs. The decision to honor Zelenskyy for the heroic defense of his country and land, as well as for the protection of the security of Europe, was approved by the Chapter of the Orders of Latvia on March 1, 2022.
Morawiecki arrived in Ukraine in the first days of the full-scale war. Together with him, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Janša and Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Jarosław Kaczyński visited Kyiv.
"It was one of the most difficult moments of the war. When the leaders of many countries did not yet believe in their own security, we had a very brave team," Zelenskyy said.
Morawiecki repeatedly condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine. He emphasized that the free world should continue helping Ukraine by supplying weapons and taking steps in the humanitarian sphere. He also supported the protection of forced migrants from our country and the sanctions policy against Russia.
Kaczyński strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and advocated for providing our country with all the necessary assistance.
After Russia's attack on Ukraine, Fiala and his government took a tough stance towards the aggressor country. The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic defends the toughest sanctions against Russia and supports Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
At the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression, Janša expressed a firm position regarding the support of our country. Since the first days of the war, Slovenia has provided military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
