Moldovan President Maia Sandu and European Council President Charles Michel arrived in Kyiv on Nov. 21 on the occasion of the Day of Dignity and Freedom, the Ukrainian holiday marking the start of the EuroMaidan protests and the Orange Revolution.
Sandu, President Volodymyr Zelensky, and First Lady Olena Zelenska paid their respects together to the more than 100 people killed in the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution.
The Day of Dignity and Freedom was established by a presidential decree in 2014. Ukraine celebrates the 10th anniversary of the EuroMaidan and the 19th anniversary of the Orange Revolution this year.
In addition, Sandu said she planned to meet with Michel and Zelensky to discuss the next steps of Moldova and Ukraine's accession to the EU, improving regional security, and the EU's support for reforms and development in the respective countries.
Charles Michel said on X he had arrived in the Ukrainian capital without providing further details on the visit.
"Good to be back in Kyiv – among friends," he wrote.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also came to Kyiv on Nov. 21 in an unannounced visit.
The EuroMaidan Revolution began in November 2013, when pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the long-awaited Association Agreement with the European Union, shortly thereafter receiving a loan from the Kremlin.
The government moved against the revolution in a violent crackdown, which resulted in over 100 protesters killed who are now commemorated in Ukraine as the "Heavenly Hundred."
The protests culminated in February 2014 with Yanukovych and other high-ranking officials fleeing to Russia and being replaced by a pro-Western interim government.
Roman Steblivskyi
(Updated: )
