Editorial: The important symbolism of the Ukraine leader being in France yesterday for the D-Day events

Morning View

​It was very good to see the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky join world leaders in France to commemorate the D-Day invasion yesterday.

His presence was symbolically important, in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost two-and-a-half years ago. President Putin’s act of outrageous aggression could yet succeed through stubborn determination and staying power, even though it did not achieve the success that he evidently hoped it would.

Mr Zelensky has been the public face of a Ukrainian resistance that has impressed people around the world, and might yet work to deter further aggression by Russia, or similar aggression by other countries, such as China towards Taiwan.

Moscow knows this, and is in for the long haul.

It is welcome yesterday that the French President Emmanuel Macron, who foolishly tried to be a broker with Mr Putin in the early stages of the invasion, met with President Zelensky yesterday and said that Paris will provide Ukraine with its Mirage combat aircraft to be able to defend their country against Russian forces.

Mr Zelensky was also in France to seek more Western help even as his forces battled to stave off a Russian onslaught near the eastern city of Kharkiv, in a war that has become Europe’s biggest conflict since the Second World War – another reason why the parallels with the 1940s were so pertinent yesterday.

Meanwhile, the US used the occasion of D-Day to say that it will send about 225 million dollars (£175 million) in military aid to Ukraine.

The new package will includes ammunition Kyiv’s forces could use to strike threats inside Russia to defend Kharkiv.

America has wavered in its support for Ukraine, as America wavered in the 1930s about getting involved in Europe. The situation was far more serious then but it is serious now nonetheless. Wealthy democracies have become soft and complacent.

The D-Day anniversary has reminded us that peace and security has to be respected and defended.