More than a dozen high-ranking European officials traveled to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Tuesday to show their support for Ukraine on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion by Russia.
This fourth anniversary marks a grim milestone in a war that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and has put European leaders on edge due to the extent of Moscow’s ambitions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite the devastating toll, has been provocative, emphasizing that Russia had not “broken the Ukrainians” nor triumphed in the war.
Mr. Zelensky argued that his country had resisted the assault of the larger and better-equipped Russian army, which, over the past year, only conquered 0.79% of Ukrainian territory, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
“Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on the current situation, we have every right to say: we defended our independence, we did not lose our state status,” said Mr. Zelensky on social media.
According to Mr. Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin “has not achieved his goals.”
“He has not broken the Ukrainians, he has not won this war,” asserted the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky urges Trump to visit the conflict zone
As this war of attrition enters its fifth year, diplomatic efforts led by the United States to end the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II do not seem close to making a breakthrough.
Negotiations are stalled on the fate of Donbass, the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine, largely occupied by Russian forces, and on the terms of a post-war security agreement demanded by Kyiv.
During a speech at an impromptu memorial in Kyiv’s central square, Mr. Zelensky called on U.S. President Donald Trump to visit the area and witness firsthand the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
“It is the only way to truly understand what this war really is,” pleaded Mr. Zelensky.
Mr. Trump, who claims to want to end the fighting, has shifted his tone several times regarding both Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky in recent months.
Heavy toll
The number of soldiers killed, wounded, or missing from both sides could reach two million by spring, according to an estimate published last month by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Europe considers its own security at stake in Ukraine, given concerns about Mr. Putin’s broader ambitions.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote that “for four years, every day and every night has been a nightmare for Ukrainians, and not just for them, but for all of us. Because war is back in Europe.”
“We can only end it by being strong together, because Ukraine’s fate is our fate,” he added.
Putin’s gamble
According to Western officials and analysts, Vladimir Putin believes that time is on his side, that Western support will wane, and that Ukrainian military resistance will eventually collapse.
On his part, French President Emmanuel Macron characterized this war as a “triple failure for Russia: military, economic, strategic.”
The war has “strengthened NATO, which it wanted to avoid expanding, united Europeans it wanted to weaken, and exposed the fragility of an imperialism from another age,” wrote Macron.
The war has caused widespread suffering for Ukrainian civilians. Russian air strikes have devastated families and deprived civilians of electricity and running water.
While NATO countries have aided Ukraine, Russia has received support from North Korea, which sent thousands of soldiers and artillery shells; from Iran, which provided drones; and from China, which, according to the United States and analysts, supplied machine tools and electronic chips.
International impacts
The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, were among the European officials visiting Kyiv on Tuesday.
The only American invited to the ceremonies was Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard, a U.S. officer representing NATO in Ukraine.
UK Minister of Armed Forces Al Carns recalled that the war Russia is waging against Ukraine is “the most significant conflict” in decades.
“I don’t think any of us could have imagined (at the start of the war) the extent and seriousness of what has happened,” he emphasized.
On Tuesday, the UK announced a new program of military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, including sending teams of military medics to provide medical assistance in Ukraine.
The cost of rebuilding Ukraine is estimated to be nearly $588 billion over the next decade, according to the World Bank, the European Commission, the United Nations, and the Ukrainian government.
This is almost three times the estimated nominal GDP of Ukraine for the past year, as specified in a report published on Monday.
