Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez joined more than a dozen other Western leaders in Ukraine on Monday to commemorate the third anniversary of the country’s war with Russia.
During the events, many leaders pledged increased military aid in a clear demonstration of support for Kyiv, as concerns grew over the US President Donald Trump’s administration’s commitment to backing Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
Sánchez also announced a 1 billion-euro military aid package for Ukraine this year.
The war is now entering its fourth year, a period that could prove decisive as Trump, who returned to office last month, pushes for a peace agreement. However, Ukrainian and European officials have expressed unease over Trump’s warm stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and his critical comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
World security is at stake in talks over how the war ends, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned.
‘The autocrats around the world are watching very carefully whether there’s any impunity if you violate international borders or invade your neighbour, or if there is true deterrence,’ she told a conference in Kyiv.
Some observers suggest that a Russian victory in Ukraine could embolden China to pursue its own territorial ambitions. Similar to Russia’s claim that Ukraine is rightfully part of its territory, China insists that the self-governing island of Taiwan belongs to it.
Trump recently described Zelensky as a dictator, blamed Ukraine for the war, and ended Putin’s three-year diplomatic isolation by the United States. Furthermore, US officials have reportedly told Ukraine that its aspirations to join NATO are unlikely to be fulfilled and that reclaiming the nearly 20% of territory occupied by Russia is improbable.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to make gradual advances on the battlefield while Ukraine struggles with shortages of both troops and weapons.
Several key allies, including European leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, arrived in Kyiv via train, while others participated in the conference through video links. Their messages were unified: Ukraine and its European partners must be involved in any peace negotiations, Putin’s expansionist goals must be countered, and Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its defence. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez: ‘Peace in Ukraine and EU security are two sides of the same coin’.
The shift in Washington’s policy has set off alarm bells in Europe, where governments fear being sidelined by the US in efforts to secure a peace deal and are mulling how they might pick up the slack of any cut in US aid for Ukraine. The changes have also placed strain on transatlantic relations.
On Sunday, European Council President Antonio Costa announced plans to convene an emergency summit of the 27 EU leaders in Brussels on 6 March, with Ukraine as the primary focus. ‘We are living a defining moment for Ukraine and European security,’ Costa stated in a social media post.
This week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are scheduled to visit Washington.
In a further show of support, EU foreign ministers on Monday approved new sanctions against Russia. The measures target Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ of vessels used to circumvent restrictions on oil and gas shipments and to transport stolen Ukrainian grain. The EU added 74 ships to its shadow fleet list and imposed asset freezes and travel bans on 83 Russian officials and entities, including government agencies and companies.
Starmer, joining the Ukraine conference via video link, stressed the importance of ensuring that Ukrainian voices r’must be at the heart of the drive for peace’, adding that Trump’s recent statements had ‘changed the global conversation’ and ‘created an opportunity’.
‘Russia does not hold all the cards in this war,’ he said.
Following his victory in Germany’s elections on Sunday, conservative leader Friedrich Merz, a strong supporter of Ukraine, echoed similar sentiments. ‘More than ever, we must put Ukraine in a position of strength,’ he posted on social media, insisting that ‘for a fair peace, the country under attack must be part of peace negotiations’.
Ucrania debe ganar una paz justa y duradera. De ello dependen la libertad, la seguridad y el futuro de todos los europeos y europeas.
Por eso acabo de anunciar en Kyiv que España enviará un nuevo paquete de ayuda militar por valor de 1.000 millones de euros al pueblo ucraniano.… pic.twitter.com/f7a7BKiIbi
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) February 24, 2025
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