European officials pledge continued backing while Kyiv and Moscow maintain sharply divergent positions on peace efforts.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Global leaders marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, as fighting continued and diplomatic efforts to end the war remained underway.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reflected on the milestone in a message posted on X, noting that four years have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what was initially described as a rapid push to seize Kyiv.
“Today marks exactly four years since Putin started his three-day push to take Kyiv. And that says a great deal about our resistance, about how Ukraine has fought all this time,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Behind those words stand millions of our people, immense courage, incredibly hard work, endurance, and the long path Ukraine has been pursuing since February 24.”
In a video accompanying the post, Zelenskyy invited U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine.
“Only by coming to Ukraine and seeing with one’s own eyes our life and struggle … only then can one understand what this war is really about,” he said.
Trump has pledged to help bring the conflict to an end. U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives have continued into 2026, with three rounds held since the start of the year. The most recent talks took place Feb. 17–18 in Geneva, Switzerland.
In comments published by the Financial Times on Feb. 23, Zelenskyy said he believes the war may be nearing a turning point.
“Ukraine needs a ceasefire — yesterday, today, tomorrow,” he said. “We don’t need a pause. We need the end of the war.” He added that he sees the conflict as being “at the beginning of the end.”
European Union leaders traveled to Kyiv to mark the anniversary and reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola issued a joint statement alongside leaders from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Norway, and Sweden.
“Our objective is a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law,” they said. “We support all efforts aimed at achieving such a peace – a peace with dignity and long-term security. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the cornerstone. No country can annex its neighbour. Borders cannot be changed by force. The aggressor cannot be rewarded.”
The EU reiterated its pledge of continued political, financial, and military assistance and restated its position that Ukraine’s long-term future lies within the European Union.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the past four years as a “nightmare” for the Ukrainian people in a post on X. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed support, writing, “Britain is with you.”
The United Kingdom announced expanded assistance, including 20 million pounds (about $27 million) for emergency energy support to help repair and protect Ukraine’s power grid and boost generating capacity, along with 5.7 million pounds (approximately $7.7 million) for humanitarian aid to frontline communities, medical mentoring, and helicopter training.
Britain also enacted what officials described as one of its largest sanctions packages against Russia since the war began. On Feb. 24, 300 new sanctions measures took effect, targeting sectors including energy, military supply chains, financial institutions, and vessels described as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. The UK has now sanctioned more than 3,000 individuals, businesses, and ships under its anti-Russia framework.
French President Emmanuel Macron characterized the war as a “triple failure for Russia: military, economic, and strategic,” adding that it had strengthened NATO and unified European states. “Because Ukraine is the first line of defence of our continent, France and Europe stand resolutely by its side,” he said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated that the alliance “stood with Ukraine from the beginning. We stand with you today.”
In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin addressed Russian officials during a ceremony at the Kremlin on Feb. 23, which coincided with Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day.
He said Russia was fighting for “its future, independence, truth and justice,” and honored members of the Russian Ministry of Defence and National Guard. “Those gathered at the Kremlin today are not only professionals with extensive experience and outstanding training. They are commanders who have stood shoulder to shoulder with their soldiers from the very beginning of the military operation, sharing every challenge and hardship with their comrades-in-arms,” Putin said. “These are people of strong moral convictions and noble ideals, the true patriots of Russia.”
Russian officials continue to refer to the war as a “special military operation.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Feb. 24 that ending the conflict “all depends on the Kiev regime’s actions now,” according to the Russian state news agency TASS. He added that Russia’s stated objectives have not yet been achieved and that operations would continue.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that what she described as the “unchecked expansion of NATO right up to our borders, including Ukraine, has become one of the fundamental causes of the current conflict.”
“Until this issue is addressed, a resolution is impossible. Russia will pursue its objectives through both military and political avenues,” she said, according to TASS.
As the war enters its fifth year, diplomatic channels remain active, but the positions outlined by Kyiv and Moscow indicate significant differences over the conditions required to bring the conflict to a close.
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