Kyiv, Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine would not betray the sacrifices of its people for the sake of peace with Russia, as divisions among key allies overshadowed events marking the start of the war.
EU divisions over sanctions and financing
European nations had hoped to agree a fresh package of sanctions against Russia and a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, but Hungary maintained its veto on both on Monday. Hungary and neighbouring Slovakia accused Kyiv of deliberately blocking Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, which Ukraine said it was trying to repair after a Russian strike last month.
Anniversary events in Kyiv
Zelenskiy was due to welcome dignitaries from Western Europe, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in Kyiv for ceremonies marking the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. In contrast to previous years, no major Western leaders were expected.
Zelenskiy message and invitation to Trump
“Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken the Ukrainian people. He has not won this war,” Zelenskiy said in a morning address, inviting U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Kyiv. He said only by seeing Ukraine’s “lives and struggles” could Trump understand what the war was about.
Casualties and stalled peace talks
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides have died or been wounded, and Russian forces have killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and destroyed Ukrainian cities with missiles and drone strikes. U.S.-brokered peace talks with Russia appeared to have stalled over territory, with Moscow insisting Ukraine must cede the final 20% of the eastern region of Donetsk and Kyiv saying it will not relinquish land defended at the cost of thousands of lives.
What do you expect from Ukraine’s allies as peace talks remain stalled over territory?
