Europe’s unwavering resolve (24 February 2026)

Foreign Ministers Jean-Noël Barrot, Johann Wadephul (Germany) and Radosław Sikorski (Poland) on the 4th anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Published on February 24, 2026.

When he launched his illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin gave himself and his troops just a few days. A few days to establish a corridor to Kyiv, take control of the Ukrainian capital, and install a pro-Russian puppet regime. A few days to bring down the entire European security architecture in one fell swoop.
A few days turned into a four-year failure.

Four years in which Moscow has achieved none of its objectives. Quite the opposite. Its losses are enormous. Its successes are few. Every day, hundreds of Russian soldiers pay for Putin’s delusions with their limbs and lives. Over 1.2 million are now wounded, dead or missing. These are staggering numbers: 10 times higher than in the Chechen Wars and 20 times higher than in the Soviet-Afghan War. More than all Soviet and Russian losses since 1945. For what? In 2025, Russian troops captured barely one more percent of Ukrainian territory. As of today, they have lost half the territory they illegally occupied in the spring of 2022.
It is safe to say: Putin’s plan has not worked. In fact, it has failed spectacularly.
He grossly underestimated the resilience of the Ukrainian people. The heroism of their soldiers. The national consciousness of an entire country. And the solidarity of the West, which stands firmly with Ukraine.

NATO is united as never before, even stronger than before. In Finland and Sweden, we have two new allies– in Sweden’s case after 200 years of neutrality.
Putin’s strategy in the face of this resistance is clear: he is counting on attrition.
It has been obvious since even before this winter that Putin wants to bomb Ukraine into a blackout. His attacks primarily target the country’s civilian energy infrastructure. Hospitals, schools, apartment buildings and entire neighbourhoods are left without electricity, without heating, without water. Half a million people are affected in Kyiv alone.

These attacks on the civilian population violate international law. They are war crimes. The people of Ukraine are supposed to bow to terror. This is Putin’s cynical game with the cold.
But we Europeans will not allow the rules of the game to be dictated to us.
Because we know we are next in line.
The Kremlin leaves no doubt about what it is ultimately seeking –an illiberal world of autocracies challenging the democratic West. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is part of a larger attack on the rules-based international order.
That is what this brutal war of conquest is about. And that is why our coordinated support continues.

That is why we are supporting Ukraine with additional air defence.
That is why we are providing assistance for the protection of the energy infrastructure and repairs to energy facilities, not only for this winter, but also in preparation for the next.
That is why the European Union is supporting Ukraine with a 90-billion-euro aid package.

That is why we have imposed comprehensive sanctions that are hurting Putin and his war chest economy.
That is why we support Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
That is why we are calling for a special tribunal to bring war criminals to justice.
That is why we are taking in Ukrainian refugees.
That is why we have put together the most ambitious coalition of willing countries in recent history to provide Ukraine with capabilities to ensure, when peace is struck, that it is durable.

Because one thing must be clear to Putin.
He is in the process of losing Ukraine strategically. Ukraine will not abandon the path of European reforms that it has embarked upon. Ukraine is already institutionally more closely linked to the West than ever before. We Europeans have a clear goal in mind: we must achieve a just and lasting peace.
This goal can only be achieved from a position of strength. That is why our resolve to support Ukraine will remain unwavering. That is why Russian assets worth billions of Euro remain frozen. And that is why we will continue to increase the pressure on Russia.

After four years of war, Ukraine is a different country. Europe, too, has changed. It is a stronger, more resilient Union. It knows the value of freedom. And stands ready to protect it with unwavering resolve.