Leaders from around the world have expressed support for the country as the fighting between Kyiv and Moscow enters its fifth year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and world leaders marked the fourth year of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24 as the fighting on the battlefield continues.
“Today marks exactly four years since [Russian President Vladimir] 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 in a Feb. 24 post on X. “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 an accompanying video, the Ukrainian leader extended an invitation to 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 vowed to bring an end to the conflict, with U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine still ongoing. Three rounds have already taken place since the start of 2026, with the most recent on Feb. 17–18 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Suggesting a resolution may be approaching, Zelenskyy said in comments published by the Financial Times on Feb. 23 that he believes the war is “at the beginning of the end.”
“Ukraine needs a ceasefire — yesterday, today, tomorrow,” he said. “We don’t need a pause. We need the end of the war.”
The leaders of the European Union, which has been a staunch ally of Kyiv since the outbreak of war, marked the anniversary by praising Ukraine’s resilience and pledging continued support.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council António Costa are in Kyiv for the anniversary, along with the leaders of 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,” Costa, von der Leyen, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a joint statement.
“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 leaders added.
They promised further political, financial, and military support for the country, and restated their belief that Ukraine’s future lies within the EU.
By Guy Birchall
