August M
Ukraine marked four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion with a high-profile show of European solidarity in Kyiv.
As leaders gathered in the capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky used the moment to deliver a direct message to former US President Donald Trump, reports The Express.
European backing
Several senior European figures travelled to Kyiv for the anniversary, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and representatives from the UK and Nordic and Baltic countries.
Their presence underscored continued political support for Ukraine as the war grinds into a fifth year.
The commemorations come as fighting continues across multiple fronts, with Kyiv seeking to maintain Western military and financial assistance.
Challenge to Trump
In a national address, Zelensky invited Trump to visit Ukraine, arguing that seeing conditions on the ground would clarify who bears responsibility for the conflict.
“I really want to come here with the president of the United States one day. I know for certain: only by coming to Ukraine, and seeing with one’s own eyes our life and our struggle, feeling our people and the enormity of this pain – only then can one understand what this war is really about,” he said.
He continued: “This is not a street fight – it is an attack by a sick state on a sovereign one. He [Putin] is the cause of its beginning and the obstacle to its end. And it is Russia that must be put in its place. So that there can be real peace.”
Defiance after four years
Zelensky said Russia had failed to accomplish its original objectives in Ukraine.
“He has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace. And to ensure justice,” he said.
His remarks framed Moscow as both the initiator of the conflict and the primary barrier to ending it, while reinforcing Kyiv’s call for sustained international pressure on the Kremlin.
Sources: The Express
