'Putin has not broken Ukraine': Zelensky marks war anniversary as Russia vows to press on

Ukraine marks four years of war

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Vladimir Putin has failed to “break” Ukraine, as the Kremlin marked four years since launching its invasion by pledging to continue what it calls its military operation until its objectives are fulfilled.

When Moscow began its assault on 24 February 2022, it had expected to seize Kyiv within days.

Four years on — amid hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions displaced, widespread destruction in eastern Ukraine and stalled US-led peace talks centred on territorial disputes — the Kremlin acknowledged that its aims remain incomplete.

“The goals haven't been fully achieved yet, which is why the military operation continues,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to an AFP question.

In a video address, Zelensky said Ukraine was prepared to do “everything” it could to secure peace, with footage showing Ukrainians resisting Russian forces in the early days of the war. He stressed that any settlement must not “betray” the sacrifices made by Ukrainians throughout the conflict.

“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,” Zelensky said.

“We want peace. Strong, dignified, and lasting peace,” he added, emphasising that any agreement “must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians”.

“Everything Ukraine has gone through. It must not be surrendered, forgotten, or betrayed,” he said.

In a subsequent address to the European Parliament, Zelensky urged Brussels to outline a clear timetable for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.

On Tuesday, several European leaders — including Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson — travelled to Kyiv to mark the anniversary.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also visited, reaffirming that Europe stood “unwaveringly with Ukraine, financially, militarily, and through this harsh winter.”

Zelensky additionally held a videoconference with key allies including Britain, France and Germany to seek further support aimed at deterring Russia’s continued offensive.

In the suburb of Irpin -- where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered in 2022 after it and the neighbouring suburb of Bucha were occupied by Russian forces -- kindergarten manager Olena Ponomariova said Ukrainians had become united and more resilient.

But she "can't say" what victory would look like, she told AFP, adding: "I don't know if that will happen, but let's hope it will."

The United States has been pushing to end the conflict, mediating talks between the two sides this year in Geneva and Abu Dhabi, but they remain at odds over the issue of territory.

Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is fighting to gain full control of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region as part of any deal.

It has threatened to take it by force if Kyiv does not cave at the negotiating table.

Ukraine has rejected the demand and said it would not sign a deal without security guarantees from allies -- including the US -- to deter Russia from invading again.

Despite heavy losses, Russian troops have in recent months advanced on the front line, particularly in the eastern Donbas region, which Moscow wants to annex.

The Russian army seized more territory during the fourth year of the Ukraine war than in the preceding two years combined, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Since February 24, 2025 -- the third anniversary of Russia's invasion -- Moscow's troops have taken 4,524 square kilometres (1,747 square miles), an area slightly larger than the US state of Rhode Island.

That is according to data from the ISW, which works with the Critical Threats Project (part of the American Enterprise Institute, or AEI), another US think-tank specialising in conflict.

The grinding four-year war has devastated Ukraine, which even before the fighting was one of the poorest countries in Europe.

The cost of post-war reconstruction is estimated at around $588 billion over the next decade, according to a joint World Bank, EU and UN report with Kyiv, published on Monday.

Russia cast its decision to send troops into Ukraine as a defensive move to halt Ukraine's ambition to join NATO.

Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, considers the war to be a resurgence of Russian imperialism aimed at subjugating the Ukrainian people.