Unity in words, division in action

Divisions among Kiev's allies have cast a shadow over the commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of Europe's biggest war in decades, even as European leaders have vowed not to abandon Ukraine.

The anniversary of the conflict, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and devastated parts of Ukraine, comes a day after Hungary vetoed new EU sanctions against Russia and a 90 billion euro loan crucial to Ukraine's survival.

Hungary, which maintains close ties with Moscow, and neighboring Slovakia accuse Kiev of deliberately blocking their supplies of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, which Ukraine says it is trying to repair after a Russian strike last month.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, facing increasing pressure from the United States to secure a peace deal, has repeatedly called on Kiev's allies to tighten sanctions on Moscow and send more weapons, while there is no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to end the war.

Officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubbs and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, traveled to Kiev for the anniversary, but were not joined by the heads of major Western governments, who addressed the event via video link.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "very skeptical" about the possibility of achieving peace quickly, saying that there was "no will for peace" on the Russian side. He stressed that this made it necessary to further strengthen support for Ukraine, the Guardian reported.

He called on the European Union leadership to ensure that a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine is disbursed without delay, saying that the money “will be delivered, without alternative.” Macron also stressed the need for new sanctions on Russia, including measures against the so-called “shadow fleet,” with the aim of “destroying its business model.”

Speaking about security guarantees for Ukraine, he stated that they are in the final stage of harmonization and must be precisely and specifically defined.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who co-chaired an online meeting of Coalition of the Willing leaders with Macron, said Ukraine's allies would have to "do the hard work" of helping Kiev and putting pressure on Russia.

Britain yesterday imposed sanctions on oil pipeline giant Transneft, among nearly 300 other Russian targets, in what it described as its biggest package of measures since the early months of the war.

"We know that when it comes to talks, there is one person standing in the way of progress in those talks, and that is Putin - and no one but Putin," Starmer said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it was crucial to “cut off the financing of Russia’s war” by adopting the 20th sanctions package. “We have to be very clear. This war will only end when Putin realizes he cannot win,” he said.

Brussels plans to submit a legal proposal on April 15 that would permanently ban imports of Russian oil, three days after parliamentary elections in Hungary, which, according to EU officials and a document seen by Reuters, are seen as the main obstacle to Viktor Orban agreeing to a deal.

Two EU officials told Reuters that the timing was designed to prevent the oil import ban from becoming a major issue in Hungary's election campaign.

In the April 12 elections, Orban and his nationalist Fidesz party face their biggest challenge to holding on to power in 16 years.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha told the Politiko website that Orban is “demonizing Ukraine for political gain within Hungary.” “We demand that Budapest stop dragging Ukraine into Hungary’s domestic politics.”

Speaking in Kiev with Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa both insisted that the EU would deliver a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine. “We will deliver what we promised, one way or another,” von der Leyen told reporters. “Let me be clear: we have different options and we will use them.”

According to the Guardian, during the speeches of Zelensky, Košta and Von der Leyen, the issue of the deadline for Ukraine's accession to the European Union was also raised. Zelensky said that he hopes for membership as early as 2027, emphasizing that this date is "very important" for Ukraine and warning that "Putin cannot block our membership for decades."

However, the British newspaper points out that although Von der Leyen praised Ukraine's progress in reforms and clearly confirmed that the answer to the question about membership was "an unequivocal yes", she was at the same time reserved when it came to a specific date, saying that the EU cannot commit to deadlines in advance, but that meeting the conditions is the key.

Russia will be able to continue its invasion of Ukraine into 2026, despite mounting economic and manpower pressures, according to a leading military think tank. At the same time, it warns that the threat posed to Europe by Russian missiles and drones is growing.

Bastian Gigerich, director general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said there was "few indications" that Moscow's ability to enter the fifth year of the war against Ukraine has been seriously impaired.

According to the organization, the Kremlin will spend at least $186 billion on defense by 2025, representing a real growth of 3 percent and reaching 7,3 percent of gross domestic product. This is more than double the share allocated to defense by the United States and approximately three times more than the United Kingdom.

In televised comments yesterday, Putin accused Ukraine of trying to undermine the peace process, which is stalled over issues of territory and control over Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

Russia insists that Ukraine must cede the remaining 20 percent of the industrialized and heavily fortified eastern region of Donetsk - while Kiev is adamant that it will not cede territory whose defense has cost thousands of lives.

Zelensky said in his morning address that he would not betray the sacrifices the people made just to end the conflict. "We cannot, we must not surrender, forget, betray."

The mood on the streets of Kiev was somber yesterday; several dozen people gathered for a ceremony in the central square, where soldiers carrying flags silently paid tribute to the dead. War fatigue is a prevailing feeling among many Ukrainians, according to Reuters.

"I don't think this will end soon, because Russia hates us and will do everything possible to destroy us," said 48-year-old Kiev resident Svitlana Yur.

Almost six million people have left Ukraine, and more than three million have been displaced within its borders, accounting for more than a fifth of the pre-war population.

Zelenskyy yesterday made an appeal to US President Donald Trump: "Only by coming to Ukraine and seeing our lives and struggles with your own eyes, understanding our people and the scale of their suffering, can you understand what this war is really about."

The Ukrainian ambassador to Washington said yesterday that Ukraine does not feel abandoned by the United States.

Speaking to reporters, Olga Stefanishina also said that she had recently received a demarche from the State Department after Ukrainian attacks on the Russian port of Novorossiysk affected US interests in Kazakhstan. Most of Kazakhstan's oil is exported through Novorossiysk.

“We heard from the State Department that we should refrain from…attacking American interests,” she said.