ANALYSIS
Four years of war in Ukraine: Moscow still fails to achieve its goals, Kiev insists on achieving peace
Russia, which now occupies about 20% of Ukrainian territory, strikes civilian areas and infrastructure on a daily basis, leading to the worst energy crisis since the start of the invasion, exacerbated by a harsh winter.
Russian strike in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine, sparked by Russia's Feb. 24, 2022 invasion, turned four years old Tuesday. What began as a large-scale offensive with the expectation of a rapid collapse of Kiev turned into a protracted conflict in which Russia has failed to realize its initial strategic objectives. This is what voices from the Russian government admit, while the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky maintains that Moscow failed in its attempt to subdue the country.
Meanwhile, Ukraine maintains its bid to regain occupied territories and reach a peace that guarantees its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"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.
He added that his country is ready to do everything possibleto ensure a strong peace.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted by saying that they have not yet "fully achieved" all their military goals, but many have been met. He promised that they will continue to fight until they are achieved.
JNS
Board of Peace shows ‘peacemaking is going to be effectively led by America,’ Tony Blair says
JNS (Jewish News Syndicate)
Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, confident of a quick victory and not expecting the fierce resistance it would meet.
Negotiations between the two sides, which resumed last year with pressure from the U.S., have failed to stop the fighting, which has destroyed entire cities and forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their country.
Meanwhile, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived Tuesday in Kiev.
In a video she summed up the purpose of her visit, to "underscore our enduring commitment to Ukraine's just fight" and sends "a clear message to the Ukrainian people and to the aggressor alike: we will not relent until peace is restored."
In this regard, Zelensky reiterated Tuesday his call to the European Union to set a clear timetable for his country's accession to the bloc because otherwise Putin "will find a way" to block it "for decades."
No way out in sight
Kiev's Western allies have imposed heavy sanctions on Moscow, forcing the country to redirect its oil exports to new markets, especially in Asia.
Despite the impact of the sanctions, Russian forces have made slow progress in recent months, particularly in the eastern Donbas region, the epicenter of bloody fighting. It is a region that Moscow wants to annex.
Reconstruction
The four-year war has devastated Ukraine, which was already one of the poorest countries in Europe.
According to a joint World Bank-E.U.-U.N. report released Monday, the cost of post-war reconstruction will be $558 billion over the next decade.
LATEST
