Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he was willing to give up his position if that would bring peace to Ukraine, a day before Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country marked its third anniversary.
Zelenskyy said that he could exchange his departure for Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
He said that he wanted to see US President Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine, a role more than being just a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow. “I really want it to be more than just mediation… that’s not enough,” he told a press conference in Kyiv.
Massive drone attack by Russia on Ukraine
Ahead of the third anniversary, Russia launched 267 drones against Ukraine, one of the biggest attacks in the three-year timeline of the war.
In a Facebook post, Ukraine’s Armed Force said: “On the night of February 23, 2025 (from 19.00 February 22) the opponent attacked 267-ma striking bpla type Shahed and imitatorami drones of different types from directions: Eagle, Bryansk, Kursk, Shatalovo, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk – Russia. , Chauda – Crimea, as well as three ballistic missiles iskander-m / kn-23 from Crimea.”
According to media reports, the attacks caused damage to infrastructure in the war-ravaged country. Thirteen regions in Ukraine were targeted by the attack.
Major events in Russia-Ukraine war
Full-scale invasion begins on February 24, 2022: In 2014, two Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk had broken away from the country in a move that is believed to be backed by Russia. In February 2022, after the breakdown of the relationship with NATO and the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the territories as independent states.
Days after Russia recognised the breakaway territories, Putin also declared a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The Russian invasion commenced in the Ukrainian territory of Donbas.
Apart from severing diplomatic ties with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law in his nation.
September 11, 2022: Months after the Russian invasion, Ukrainian forces successfully pushed back opponent forces on September 11, 2022, reclaiming a large area that was occupied. Ukraine regained a large portion of Kharkiv, prompting Putin to attack Ukrainian infrastructure sites and leaving the nation struggling without power and water.
October 5, 2022: Putin signed official papers to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions in Ukraine. Putin took the stance after orchestrating ‘referendums’ that the West and Ukraine dismissed as sham. The US and its allies responded by slapping sanctions on more than 1,000 Russian people and companies.
January 25, 2023: The United States and Germany announced the decision to send advanced battle tanks to aid Ukraine in its defence against Russian forces at a time when the war was nearing its first anniversary.
February 20, 2023: Former US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine and spent some time in Kyiv with Zelenskyy, walking around the city ahead of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. During his joint remark with his Ukrainian counterpart, Biden announced USD 500 million in additional assistance to the Eastern European country.
February 8, 2024: With counter-offensives not yielding much result, Zelenskyy announced on February 8, 2024, his decision to replace top army leader, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
April 20, 2024: The US House of Representatives passed a foreign aid package on April 20, 2024. It included a bill that provided more funding to aid Ukraine. The Ukraine bill, however, received less support from Republican members of Congress who voted against it. Despite opposition, the bill received enough support for it to be passed.
August 6, 2024: Ukraine launched a surprising incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, close to the border. It was claimed by certain media reports as the largest foreign attack launched on Russia since World War II. Amid the offensive, Ukraine took control of some Russian territory. Russia launched a counteroffensive against Ukraine in September. While Russia claimed that the Ukrainian incursion had left several civilians dead, Kyiv responded by saying it had not targeted civilians.
October-November 2024: The war took a major turn late 2024 when Ukraine claimed that North Korean troops were seen joining Russian forces in the fight. Officials from the United States, Ukraine, and South Korea have since said there were 10,000 North Korean forces in Russia as of mid-November, with some engaging in combat in Kursk, reported US News.
The future of the conflict was expected to take a new turn after Donald Trump’s election as the new President, as he had repeatedly criticised the scale of Western aid to Ukraine. He vowed to swiftly end the war after his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
February 2025: The war did not end swiftly as promised by Trump but Russian and American officials met in Saudi Arabia on February 18, when they agreed to work towards ending the conflict. Surprisingly, no Ukrainian representative was invited to the meeting.
Zelenskyy told reporters, as quoted by US News, that the meeting was a “surprise” to him, and that Ukraine wants “no one to decide anything behind our backs”.
Meanwhile, Trump demanded full access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for further US support. In a social media post, Trump hit out at Zelenskyy, calling him a “dictator without elections”.
