‘If Ukraine were forced to negotiate, Zelensky would not survive a negotiation’ • FRANCE 24

Ukraine on Saturday marked two years since Russia’s invasion, entering a new year of war weakened by a lack of western aid while Russia is emboldened by fresh gains. When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” at dawn on February 24, 2022, many expected Moscow’s victory within days, but Ukraine fought back, forcing Russian troops into humiliating retreats. But Ukraine has suffered setbacks with the failure of its 2023 counteroffensive. The Russian army has in turn built up a position of strength thanks to booming war production, while Ukraine’s troops are short of manpower and running low on Western-supplied ammunition for artillery and air defences. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that decisions on arms supplies must be “the priority”. Saturday’s anniversary will see visits by Western leaders including EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who praised Ukraine’s “extraordinary resistance” as she arrived in Kyiv. But the overall picture remains bleak for Ukraine due to the US Congress blocking a vital $60 billion aid package. This has come on top of delays in promised European deliveries. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, two years on, FRANCE 24’s William Hilderbrandt and Douglas Herbert are joined by Samantha de Bendern, Author, Journalist, Associate Fellow at Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme.