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By Matthew Robinson
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine as he marked the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion.
"I really want to come here with the President of the United States one day," Zelensky said in a video posted on X on Tuesday. "I know for certain: only by coming to Ukraine, and seeing with one's own eyes our life and our struggle, feeling our people and the enormity of this pain—only then can one understand what this war is really about."
He added that Putin now understands he is "not capable of defeating Ukraine on the battlefield," and had "not achieved his goals."
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"He has not broken Ukrainians. He has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to secure peace and justice," he said.
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Why It Matters
The fourth anniversary of the full-scale war comes as Trump-backed peace negotiations have made only limited progress.
Zelensky said last week that no agreement had been reached on critical issues following U.S.-led negotiations in Switzerland. "We can see that some groundwork has been done, but for now the positions differ, because the negotiations were not easy," he said.
Russia has refused to move on its demands to maintain control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, along with the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia is also aiming to take control of the remaining areas of Donetsk still held by Ukraine.
What To Know
Zelensky delivered his 18-minute anniversary address from an underground bunker beneath Kyiv's Bankova Street, where the president and his advisers worked during the first hours of Russia's invasion in 2022.
He recalled receiving a warning from President Joe Biden to "leave Ukraine urgently," to which he replied: "I need ammunition, not a ride."
Zelensky said that a visit from Trump would make it clear "who the aggressor is here and who must be pressured."
He added: "This is not a street fight—it is an attack by a sick state on a sovereign one, and that Putin is this war. He is the cause of its beginning and the obstacle to its end. And it is Russia that must be put in its place. So that there can be real peace."
Zelensky also urged Trump this week to "stay on our side," and said that the U.S. was not putting enough pressure on Putin.
"They have to stay with… a democratic country which is fighting against one person. Because this person is a war. Putin is a war. It's all about himself. It's all about one person. And the country, all his country is in the prison," he said in an interview with CNN on Monday.
Trump has on numerous occasions appeared to side with Russia during the peace negotiations, and pressured Zelensky to sign on to a peace proposal including major territorial concessions, or risk losing U.S. support.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance also attacked Zelensky during a fractious meeting in the Oval Office in February last year, during which Trump threatened to withdraw U.S. support if Ukraine did not make a deal.
Zelensky's remarks came as numerous European leaders visited Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the invasion, including those from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission who was also in Kyiv, wrote on X: "On this grim anniversary, the Coalition of the Willing stands with Ukraine. We will step up military support and deliveries, with a focus on air defense systems, drones and long-range ammunition. We are working on robust security and prosperity guarantees—together with our U.S. partners, solidly anchored in Ukraine's E.U. path."
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What People Are Saying
Zelensky said in his address: "Putin understands he is not capable of defeating Ukraine on the battlefield, and the 'second army in the world' is fighting against apartment buildings and power plants. And now Ukrainians are enduring the hardest winter in history. And terror almost every night. I do not know who else could withstand this without collapsing or wavering. Ukrainians are doing it. And this is great exhaustion. For sure. What other people could do this? Despite the war, all these attacks, all these trials—to overcome evil—to overcome despair and hopelessness. And to hold on. And to hold on in unity.
"And amid all this—to achieve results—everywhere. To recover after every attack. Each time, to replenish our air defense with missiles. To go to work every morning. To hold the line constantly. To speak with the world as equals. To gain EU candidate status, to bring thousands of our prisoners home. To make every international platform—from Davos to the UN—pro-Ukrainian. To make Ukraine’s voice in the world loud, to win Eurovision, to take the Oscar and the BAFTA, to be absolute world boxing champions, and to prove that Ukrainians have honor of the highest grade—far more valuable than any gold of this spineless IOC."
Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said on Tuesday: "The main goal is to ensure the safety of people who lived in eastern Ukraine and who were truly in mortal danger." He added that the Russian "objectives have not been fully achieved."
What Happens Next
The next round of Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations could take place on February 26 and 27, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Monday.
He said the talks "are not easy, but we are definitely moving forward and approaching the moment when all parties will need to make final decisions, whether to continue this war or move to peace."
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