Londoners march in support of Ukraine to mark three years of war / Photo: © AFP
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Londoners march in support of Ukraine to mark three years of war
Hundreds gathered in London on Saturday to march in support of Ukraine, ahead of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion on Monday and amid increasing tensions between Washington and Kyiv.
Protesters started at a statue of St Volodymyr, a national saint of Ukraine, in west London and marched towards the Russian embassy, waving Ukrainian flags and signs of support.
The three-year long war was sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Britain has been a key backer of Ukraine since, sanctioning Moscow, providing financial and military support to Kyiv and opening its door to over 250,000 Ukrainian refugees.
At the rally, one sign read "Ukraine defends peace for the entire Europe", while another said "If Ukraine falls, war will come to your house".
"I'm not Ukrainian but I recognise the great danger they are in," 68-year-old Briton Martin Vincent told AFP.
"We cannot abandon them it's a duty for the UK to stand up with Ukraine," the protestor added.
Among the crowd were some Ukrainians, including Nataliya, a university student who did not want to share her last name for security reasons.
"I feel so homesick and so vulnerable right now. I don't know If I'll be able to come back to my country," said Nataliya, wearing a floral crown in the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag.
"What's next? Uncertainty and uncertainty," she added.
Stella Robinson, 27, was "afraid of what might happen next" as well. "This is not only Ukraine, this is Europe."
"We can't turn a blind eye on the war just because Trump wants peace," added Robinson, referring to recent diplomatic talks between the US and Russia on the future of the war that have sidelined Kyiv and its European backers.
"But what kind of a peace? Frankly, it's terrifying," added the law student.
British public support for Ukraine is strong, with 67 percent saying they both want Ukraine to win the war and care a "great deal or fair amount" that it does so, according to a YouGov poll from last week.
And eight in ten Britons said it is "unacceptable" for Ukraine not to be included in negotiations on the conflict, per the poll.
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the start of the war, although the exact toll is unclear.
O.Lorenz--BTB
