Ukrainian President Marks National Flag Day, Emphasizes Sovereignty
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated during the National Flag Day ceremonies that the blue and yellow flag represents a dream and a goal for many citizens in temporarily occupied territories. He asserted that Ukrainians will not relinquish their land to the occupiers, reports 24brussels.
“This flag serves as a beacon of hope for people we are bringing back from Russian captivity. When they see the Ukrainian colors, they understand: the evil has passed,” he emphasized.
Zelensky highlighted that the Ukrainian flag symbolizes the core beliefs of hundreds of thousands of military personnel, who are not only defending individual sectors of the front but the entire nation, risking their lives to secure the right to exist for the whole of Ukraine.
The President expressed gratitude to all those “fighting for our state and its people” and working in Ukraine’s interests.
Previously, Zelensky dismissed the idea of withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the territories of the Donetsk region controlled by Ukraine as a precondition for a ceasefire. He also reiterated that legally, Ukraine does not recognize the occupation of its territories.
Residents in occupied territories have until March 20 to determine their legal status, as a decree signed in the Kremlin mandates them to either leave or regularize their status in Russia. This effectively amounts to coercion to obtain Russian citizenship, as reported in the article “Occupied Ukrainians” by co-founder of the ComebackUA NGO, Vyacheslav Savchenko.
