Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was proud of his country, of "three years of resistance" and of "three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians."
Zelensky issued this statement on the day that marks three years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, 2022.
"Thank you to all those who protect and help Ukraine. To all those who work for Ukraine. And may the memory of all those who gave their lives for our state and people be eternal," Zelensky said.
To mark this day, he called an international security summit in Kiev.
European Union leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will attend.
"We are in Kiev today because Ukraine is Europe. In this fight for survival, it is not just the fate of Ukraine that is at stake. It is the fate of Europe," von der Leyen wrote on social media.
There are also plans for a joint press conference.
In London, the British Government is expected to announce a new round of sanctions against Russia.
Pro-Ukraine protests are expected to take place outside Russian embassies around the world, including: the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, Lithuania, Sweden and the United States.
On the war front, the Ukrainian military said it had shot down 113 of 185 Russian attack drones that were launched overnight in 12 regions, including the capital Kiev.
Seventy-one other drones disappeared from radar after being jammed.
Ukrainian drones, meanwhile, hit an oil refinery in the Russian city of Ryazan, south of Moscow.
The three-year war caused the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians and devastated entire areas of Ukraine./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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