Ukraine hosts EU leaders as US backing frays three years since invasion
Reuters
February 24, 2025 21:30 MYT
February 24, 2025 21:30 MYT
People visit the graves of their relatives, who were killed during Russia's attack on Ukraine, as they mark the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine February 23, 2025. - REUTERS
KYIV: Ukraine enters the fourth year of all-out war with Russia on Monday, unsure it can rely any longer on its staunchest ally the United States as its exhausted troops fight to hold their ground against unrelenting enemy advances.
Donald Trump blasted Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week as an unpopular "dictator" who needed to cut a quick peace deal or lose his country, while the Ukrainian leader said the U.S. president was living in a "disinformation bubble".
Beyond the war of words, U.S. officials opened direct talks with the Russian side in Saudi Arabia last week, shutting out Kyiv and Europe in a stunning change of policy on the war.
Washington has made clear it will send no troops as a security guarantee coveted by Kyiv if a peace deal emerges, placing the burden squarely on European powers that are likely to struggle without U.S. backing.
Zelenskiy, who has told Europe to create its own army while urging Washington to be pragmatic, has held more than a dozen phone calls since Friday, mainly with European leaders, to scope out a way forward.
"Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians. Proud of Ukraine!" he wrote on the Telegram messaging app, as foreign leaders began to arrive to mark the anniversary.
They included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and the leaders of Canada, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden who were met off the train by Ukraine's foreign minister and Zelenskiy's chief of staff.
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and more than six million live as refugees abroad since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air, starting the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Military losses have been catastrophic, although they remain closely guarded secrets. Public Western estimates based on intelligence reports vary widely, but most say hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded on each side.
Tragedy has touched families in every corner of Ukraine, where military funerals are commonplace in major cities and far-flung villages. People are exhausted by sleepless nights of air raid sirens.
'THEY ARE TIRED'
Russia launched 185 drones against Ukraine overnight but caused no significant damage, the Ukrainian air force said. Kyiv's military said a deep strike had hit Russia's Ryazan oil refinery, causing at least five explosions in its vicinity.
Ukrainian troops face a numerically superior foe as questions swirl over the future of vital U.S. military assistance. It is unclear how much European allies could fill the gap if U.S. support slows or stops.
Evhen Kolosov, head medic at an army stabilisation point for Ukraine's Spartan brigade that is fighting in the east, said the troops were psychologically worn down.
"They're fighting on but really those (who've been here) since the first days are tired, even more psychologically than physically, in the same way as medics. It's difficult, but this is war, who said it would be easy?"
Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine's foreign minister from 2014 to 2019, said Zelenskiy needed to try to preserve strategic ties with Washington while enhancing relations with Europe, as well as reaching out to countries like China and India.
Klimkin said he did not think relations with Washington had reached crisis point yet, despite Trump's outbursts.
"A tornado is not sustainable, it will pass, but it is very important not to feed it in any way."
He did not anticipate a peace deal this year that would meet Ukraine's ambitions for something fair and lasting, but said he thought there could be elements of a ceasefire agreement.
At the heart of the current relationship is a deal under discussion that could open up Ukraine's mineral wealth to the U.S., with Trump seeking hundreds of billions of dollars to repay Washington for its support.
Zelenskiy refused to sign an initial draft deal earlier this month, protesting that it was not in Ukrainian interests and did not contain the security guarantees he wanted.
Trump said on Friday that a deal was close, though details remain unclear.
Reuters reported that U.S. negotiators pressing for a deal had raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet system, which has played a vital role in Kyiv's military operations.
Trump has also pressed Ukraine to hold a wartime election, appearing to side with Russia which has long described Zelenskiy as no longer legitimate.
Zelenskiy's mandate was due to expire last May, but no election has been held due to martial law, which was declared at the start of the invasion and prohibits holding elections.
Zelenskiy said on Sunday he was willing to give up the presidency if it meant peace, quipping that he could exchange his departure for Ukraine's entry into NATO.