The Eiffel Tower in Paris will be illuminated with the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag over the weekend in a show of solidarity with Kyiv after the invasion by Russian forces.
The monument will display the blue and yellow colours "in support of the Ukrainian people" at the request of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is also the Socialist party candidate for French presidential elections in six weeks.
On Thursday, Hidalgo attended a rally in Paris to protest Russia's military offensive against its neighbour, which she denounced on Twitter as an unjustified and criminal act.
La situation est grave et l’Ukraine a besoin de notre soutien total. J’ai décidé de transformer notre rencontre de Bordeaux en meeting de solidarité avec le peuple ukrainien.
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) February 25, 2022
Unité, Europe, détermination, c’est notre responsabilité dans ce moment historique.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/PwsJKj605N
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The Eiffel Tower, which is lit up nightly on the hour with sparkling white lights, often changes hues to mark notable events, for example the blue, white and red of the French tricolour.
The French government has also condemned the invasion that President Emmanuel Macron tried to avoid with a forceful diplomatic push.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting to take Ukraine off the map of nations claiming the Kremlin seeks to rebuild a Russian "empire".
