‘European Solidarity’ leader  joined war veterans and active serviceman for a Defenders’ Day memorial ceremony at ‘Hall of Memory’, said ‘European Solidarity’ in a statement Thursday.

The memorial site was created on initiative of Petro Poroshenko to honor Ukrainian soldiers who fought and died defending Ukraine or serving as peacekeepers in other countries.

In his speech Petro Poroshenko hailed Ukraine’s ‘best sons and daughters’ who gave their lives ‘stopping the Russian aggression’.

‘It is because of them Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, and hundreds of our other cities, towns and villages live a peaceful life’, stressed the former Ukrainian president.

The ceremony was marked by another emotional moment that saw the family of fallen Ukrainian marine Yaroslav Zhuravel receiving the  commemorative award ‘Glory of Ukraine’.