Understanding the situation in Ukraine since 2014

2014: illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and beginning of the Donbas conflict

In late November 2013, tensions increased between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to suspend the process towards the signing of an Association Agreement with the European Union caused a popular movement in Ukraine called the “Revolution of Dignity” or Euromaidan.

Amid this crisis, masked Russian soldiers without insignia took control of all the strategic points in the region on 27 February 2014. On 16 March 2014, a sham referendum for independence and attachment to the Russian Federation was held. The international community did not recognize this annexation.

At the same time, a destabilization operation using proxy forces was launched in eastern Ukraine. In March 2014, armed groups without insignia under Russian control supported demonstrators calling for the independence of these regions. On 11 May, the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic” declared their independence following a pseudo-referendum. This vote, held outside of the framework established by Ukrainian legislation and marred by a number of irregularities, is considered illegal by Ukraine and has not been recognized by the international community.

France supported the European Union’s adoption of sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine.

2014-2015: The Minsk Agreements aiming to end the conflict

Diplomatic talks began in June 2014. The 6 June 1944 D-Day commemorations provided an opportunity to initiate diplomatic discussions between the Ukrainian and Russian Presidents under the auspices of the President of the French Republic and German Federal Chancellor in the Normandy Format, or N4.

Negotiations were also launched in Minsk in the Trilateral Contact Group including representatives of Ukraine and Russia and mediated by the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), as well as involving separatists (representatives of “certain regions of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts”) in four working groups.

On 5 September 2014, the Trilateral Contact Group parties signed the Minsk Protocol: 13[SP1]  political and security measures aiming to end the conflict.

On 11 and 12 February 2015, the Normandy Format Summit of Heads of State and Government was held in Minsk. The Trilateral Contact Group parties signed the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements (at times informally called “Minsk II”).

This Package of Measures set out the operational stages for implementing the Minsk Protocol. Its intention was to advance the security situation on the ground and the political process jointly and without preconditions. The objective was for the separatist-held zones to be re-integrated under Ukrainian sovereignty in a decentralized framework.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2202, adopted on 17 February 2015, endorsed this Package of Measures and called for its full implementation.

Download the Minsk Protocol PDF – 157.8 KB 

Download the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements PDF – 165.2 KB 

Difficulty in implementing commitments

The Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements helped significantly reduce the number of casualties. Negotiations stalled, however, while ongoing tensions continued to fuel the conflict. In Crimea, Ukraine has not recovered its sovereignty and its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. In eastern Ukraine, repeated ceasefire violations continued to directly threaten civilians and the humanitarian situation remained very critical, particularly for the most vulnerable people.

The year 2019 was marked by the election of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as President of Ukraine. He received more than 73% of votes and made settling the conflict a priority of his term of office. Several advances on the ground (particularly the ceasefire and prisoner exchanges) were made following his election. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

On 21 February 2022, the Russian President unilaterally recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed separatist republics, reneging on all of Russia’s commitments, and in particular the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia was a signatory and which was endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2202. Then, despite all of its international commitments, Russia decided to launch a war of aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022. 

The international community responded immediately with wide condemnation and the adoption of massive sanctions against Russia by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and other like-minded countries such as Japan and Canada. Since then, Ukraine has received substantial, ongoing financial and material support from its partners, including France. 

After nearly four years of war, around 20% of Ukrainian territory remains occupied by Russia – including just 1% captured in 2025 – and these limited territorial gains were made at the cost of heavy losses within the Russian Armed Forces. Russia continues to violate its obligations under international law by deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure in the middle of winter and strikes on cultural sites such as the Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, has not hesitated to pursue escalation by firing Oreshnik nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, and continues to commit war crimes by forcefully transferring Ukrainian children to Russia. The invasion of Ukraine has thus provoked an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and the displacement of more than 11 million inhabitants.

Ukraine has retaliated against Russian strikes on its territory through large-scale operations against military targets deep within Russian territory (such as Operation Spiderweb, or Pavutyna, in June 2025) and, particularly in 2026, by targeting Russian oil infrastructure that enables Russia to finance the war. 

France’s commitment to resolving the conflict in Ukraine

France, alongside its European and international partners, has continued its efforts to support the Ukrainian people since the outbreak of the war. It remains fully mobilized to put an end to Russia’s aggression that violates the most fundamental rules of international law, and to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

France has never recognized the illegal annexation of Crimea: the redrawing of international borders by force is a breach of international law (Charter of the United Nations) and of the commitments made by the Russian Federation. 

In the face of rising tensions with Russia on the Ukrainian border at the end of 2021, France pursued a policy of firmness and dialogue with Russia and solidarity with Ukraine to move towards a political settlement of the conflict and facilitate de-escalation. In light of this, the French President and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs travelled to Kyiv on 8 February 2022, following a visit to Moscow the day before. France reiterated that any new attack on Ukrainian sovereignty would lead to massive, costly sanctions for Russia.

Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, France has provided Ukraine with continuous civil, humanitarian and military support. In the context of the war, France has strengthened its partnership with Ukraine, in particular through a bilateral agreement on security cooperation (February 2024). France has furthermore supported Ukraine by supplying “complete round” military capacities (equipment always delivered with the necessary ammunition and components, training for personnel, equipment maintenance solutions, etc.), tailored to the Ukrainians’ requests and needs thanks to strong dialogue and a close strategic relationship between our two countries. France was among the first partners to deliver certain military equipment to Ukraine. France has also been active in providing training for Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, within a multilateral framework, particularly through the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM), as well as on a national level, as in 2024 when it trained and fully equipped an entire Ukrainian brigade, given the name “Anne de Kyiv”.  

France has also provided civil and humanitarian support to Ukraine during the conflict and to contribute to the country’s reconstruction.

On a political level, France has been strongly committed to promoting the resolution of the conflict, supporting Ukraine’s ceasefire proposals as well as the efforts, notably on the part of the United States, to advance the negotiation process. France has also sought to mobilize all of its partners to meet the goal of supporting Ukraine over the long term. France is involved in the work of coordinating between Europeans and the United States with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace that preserves Ukraine’s sovereignty and Europe’s security, as demonstrated by President Macron’s visit to Washington alongside President Zelenskyy and several European leaders on 18 August 2025.

In addition, since 2025, France has co-chaired the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine with the United Kingdom, with which it founded the initiative. The Coalition brings together 35 countries to ensure robust security guarantees for Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace.

Lastly, France also made Ukraine one of the priorities of its G7 presidency in 2026. This subject was notably addressed at the Évian Summit on 15-17 June 2026, during which the G7 leaders showed a strong united front, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy present. 

Together with its partners and at bilateral and European level, France will continue to provide Ukraine with the necessary support to bring about a just and lasting peace that ensures Ukraine’s security and that of Europe.

 [SP1]12 ? https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/default/files/document/files/2024/05/ua…