Today marks four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leading to the most devastating conventional conflict in Europe since World War II.
From day one of the invasion, fierce Ukrainian resistance has kept Russia from achieving its goal of dismembering the Ukrainian state.
Hundreds of billions of dollars and euros in Western military aid, now shouldered mostly by the Europeans, has also kept Ukraine in the fight.
According to the United Nations, 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed as a result of the Russian invasion.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been killed or injured on both sides.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the four-year anniversary by accusing Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of trying to take over Ukraine, saying he had failed to achieve this and other war goals.
In a video address today, Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to do "everything" it could to secure a strong, lasting peace.
Talks between the two sides, relaunched last year by the United States, have so far failed to halt the fighting, which has devastated the country and left it facing a mammoth reconstruction task.
"Putin has not achieved his goals. He did not break the Ukrainians. He did not win this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace - and to ensure there is justice," Mr Zelensky said.
"We want peace. Strong, dignified, and lasting peace," he said, adding that any agreement "must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians".
The war has also recalibrated how European countries view their own national security, pushing the continent's governments to boost spending on defence and leading to an enlarged NATO - Sweden and Finland joined the military alliance in 2023.
President Zelensky is meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in Kyiv today, and all three will participate in an official commemoration marking the fourth anniversary of the invasion.
In a video posted to social media, Ms von der Leyen said she wanted to reaffirm that Europe stood "unwaveringly with Ukraine, financially, militarily, and through this harsh winter".
"And to send a clear message to the Ukrainian people and to the aggressor alike: we will not relent until peace is restored. Peace on Ukraine's terms."
This week, the European Union had intended to announce a 20th package of sanctions against Russia, but that plan has been stalled by Hungary, which opposes further sanctions against Moscow, as well as a new €90bn loan from the EU intended to keep Ukraine financially afloat for the next two years.
But such temporary delays are unlikely to unnerve Ukrainians, who guard the survival of their country as strongly today as during the early hours of 24 February 2022.
Mr Putin had expected a swift victory when he ordered the start of his "special military operation" at 4.15am that morning.
Ukrainian intelligence later reported his intention was to execute the democratically elected leadership of Ukraine and install a pro-Russian government.
However, Russia’s attempt to capture Kyiv faltered. By the summer of 2022, Russian troops had retreated to the east, and were routed in Kherson and Kharkiv.
Hopes of a spectacular Ukrainian victory were short-lived. Mr Putin ordered a partial mobilisation, violently suppressed opposition at home, and turned Russia into a war economy.
After four years of fighting, Russia still occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory but its advances remain slow, incremental and are measured in small settlements, not big cities.
Drone superiority counts for more than infantry formations or artillery strength.
Residents of Ukraine’s big cities and towns have been subjected to increasing barrages of Russian drone and missile attacks for much of their past year.
This winter has been the toughest of the war so far for Ukrainians, whose country’s energy infrastructure has been pummelled by Russian drone and missile attacks.
Resulting power and heating outages have meant that millions of Ukrainians have had to endure freezing temperatures inside their homes.
Russia’s four-year invasion has caused extensive destruction and damage to Ukrainian cities and towns, which could take a generation to rebuild when the fighting eventually ends.
The World Bank now estimates that the cost of reconstructing the country stands at close to €500bn.
Live updates: Zelensky: 'Putin has not achieved his goals
The return of Donald Trump to the White House created a new dynamic, but Europeans, who have supported Ukraine financially and, increasingly, militarily, fear he is putting more pressure on Kyiv to surrender land as part of a settlement, than on Mr Putin, who has escalated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and residential areas.
Ukrainian officials said yesterday that a fourth round of trilateral talks, brokered by the US, could be held by the end of this week.
However, few Ukrainians expect a breakthrough in talks any time soon, or for Russia to drop its demand to control all of Donbas as the price for ending its four-year invasion.
Additional reporting: AFP
