"He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war," Zelenskyy said. Despite the show of defiance, Ukraine has struggled to hold off Russia's onslaught, and the war has brought widespread hardship for Ukrainian civilians. European leaders see their countries' own security at stake in Ukraine amid concerns that Putin may target them next. Putin's dangerous gamblePutin believes that time is on the side of his bigger army, Western officials and analysts say - and that Western support will trail off and that Ukraine's military resistance will eventually crumble. But French President Emmanuel Macron described the war was "a triple failure for Russia: military, economic, and strategic."

Source: The Telegraph February 24, 2026 14:14 UTC