For Elena Gorkova, the US President’s visit to the Ukrainian capital on Monday is “a very strong symbol”.
US President Joe Biden visited Kiev in Ukraine on Monday February 20, a few days before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. A trip kept secret until the last moment. “We didn’t expect it at all! But when we saw all the security measures that were taken, with all the streets blocked, we said to ourselves: ‘It must be someone very important ‘ and we thought of Biden”explains Elena Gorkova, a Ukrainian journalist who lives in downtown kyiv.
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“It’s a very, very strong symbol”she adds, adding that Joe Biden was not afraid to travel to Ukraine despite the threats of bombing. “It is to his credit, it is an important symbol for all Ukrainians, whereas Vladimir Putin never came to the occupied territories, to the regions of Lugansk or Donetsk. All the territories he claims”notes the Ukrainian journalist.
“We need weapons to stop the Russian invasion”
However, Elena Gorkova does not consider the arrival of the American president as a “sign of hope”. On franceinfo, she recalls that “Ukraine above all needs weapons”: “We do indeed have difficulties in the Donetsk region, in the Bakhmout sector. We need weapons to stop the Russian invasion, so that there is no more casualties”hammers such.
“We hope since the beginning of the war, means for anti-aircraft defense. If from the beginning we had this means of protection: there would be fewer civilian victims.”
Elena Gorkova, Ukrainian journalistat franceinfo
Joe Biden’s visit to Ukraine comes on the eve of an expected speech by Vladimir Putin. The head of the Kremlin must speak Tuesday morning in Moscow. This raises fears of a violent reaction from Russia and a new deluge of fire on Ukraine. “It’s possible, we’re getting ready”, recognizes Elena Gorkova. A risk that does not scare him. “We already know what to prepare for, we know it can happen, that they can launch a new attack. We feel more confident than last year when people weren’t expecting the offensive”she confides while ensuring that for a year, “life goes on”.
“We work, we do our shopping, we pay our taxes. In kyiv, life works normally even if we all think about what is happening on the front”, says Elena Gorkova confident that she recently visited the cemetery in Irpin. In this village, graves appear every day. “Flowers don’t have time to fade” before more graves were dug. “It’s unforgettable. The war, we can’t forget it”she concludes.