Year Five of the Ukraine War Begins as EU Leaders Visit Kyiv and Allies Reassert Support

Overview

• European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa visited Kyiv for commemorations, pledged continued assistance, and joined a videoconference of the allies’ “coalition of volunteers.”
• Emmanuel Macron called the conflict a military, economic and strategic failure for Moscow and pressed for a new EU sanctions package, though a Hungarian veto has delayed the 20th round.
• Volodymyr Zelensky said Vladimir Putin has not met his war aims, urged President Donald Trump to keep backing Kyiv, and sought a clear path toward European Union membership.
• The front lines have barely shifted in recent months with Russia holding roughly 19–20% of Ukraine, Ukrainian commanders reporting only a few hundred square kilometers retaken, and intensified strikes driving the worst winter energy crisis since 2022.
• Casualty and humanitarian tolls continue to mount, with CSIS estimating nearly 1.2 million Russian personnel losses and the UN recording at least 15,000 Ukrainian civilian deaths, while U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi and Geneva remain stalled over Moscow’s demand that Kyiv quit the Donbass.