On the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine: "Our destinies remain linked; Slovenia remains committed to Ukraine"

In her speech, the President of the Republic of Slovenia condemned the Russian aggression in Ukraine and stressed that war is the defeat of human society and civilisation. "It is an expression of the inability to resolve conflicts peacefully, which is one of the fundamental principles of modern international law and international relations. In this war, the peaceful settlement of conflicts has not even been given a chance," she said, calling for an end to the war. She supported Ukraine and its people in their efforts to obtain what the Charter of the United Nations, of which the Russian Federation is an influential member, allows them: sovereignty and thus the ability to decide their own future. "Our destinies remain linked, Slovenia remains committed to Ukraine," Pirc Musar said at the end of her address.

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia, Andrii Taran, also made a speech.

On the occasion of the tragic anniversary, the President of the Republic of Slovenia invited refugees from Ukraine who had found refuge from the war in Slovenia to the Presidential Palace and visited them in the accommodation centre in Postojna in the early afternoon. There, she listened to their experiences of the war in a lengthy conversation, and Anna Kravchenko spoke on behalf of her compatriots at the Presidential Palace.

The event featured performances by young musicians involved in the humanitarian and artistic project Music for the Future: pianist Olena Tsymbal from Zaporizhia and sisters Anna and Sofiia Kysliak, violinists who had to flee their home for the second time – in 2014 they fled the occupied Donbas with their families, and last year they fled Kiev.