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In a speech in Brussels, he said that “Ukraine continues to blunt Russia’s aggression and despite Putin’s posturing, Russia has failed to meet their ambitions on the battlefield.”
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“Their security is our security. There cannot be true peace in Europe without real peace in Ukraine.”
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He added that Russia’s Vladimir Putin must also show “if he is serious about peace.”
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Referencing Winston Churchill’s speech from the second world war, saying that “our qualities and deeds must burn and glow through the gloom of Europe,” Rutte declared that “the flame of freedom is alive in Ukraine, and that flame continues to burn and glow.”
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Zelenskyy continues with a very strong line urging Europe to act against Russian interests in Europe as he says:
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“In many ways, we can see how Russia shows contempt for Europe, but Russians should learn that Europe is not just a land for the villas of Russian oligarchs.
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It’s not a museum for the lovers of Russian officials to admire beauty, another place of leisure for Russian killers.
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Russians must learn that Europe is a union of independent nations and millions of people who do not tolerate humiliation and will not accept violence.”
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He urges them to “continue to defend the European way of life”.
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He gets a long, standing ovation in response to his speech.
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Zelenskyy says “we must be just as determined and strong as we were when the invasion began,” as “the threat hasn’t become smaller.”
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He says Europe can only respond to this war working together with the US, even as he remarks it “is not an easy task to maintain transatlantic unity and cooperation in the current conditions.”
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He says Europe and the US “must continue to formally apply the full range of protect[ive measures] against Russia,” in particular sanctions against anything that “fills Putin’s wallet with money and allows him to drag this war out.”
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“So there must be no place in the free world for Russian oil, for Russian tankers, Russian banks, Russian sanctions …, schemes, or for any Russian war criminals. The time has come to fully ban all participants in Russia’s aggression from entire Europe.”
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He says Ukraine needs strong security guarantees, and “a clear date for joining the EU,” warning that if Kyiv doesn’t get a clear political commitment on the date, Putin will do whatever he can do subverse it and delay the process.
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Zelenskyy begins with the words of thanks for “constant attention, support and firm position on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”
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“We truly feel that many Europeans do care about what will happen to Ukraine and whether we will be able to achieve a reliable and lasting peace,” he says.
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He stresses that Ukraine “never chose this war,” and tried “everything we [could] to stop it.”
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He says that in Russia, Europe faces “a mentality of an unstable dictatorship that cannot accept that in Europe every life matters, human rights are important, and nations are protected, big or small.”
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“Putin cannot accept one simple thing: that somewhere people can live differently and enjoy a life that is not the one he prefers,” he says.
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Zelenskyy says that Putin is actively “choosing” war and conflict, whether in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Africa or Iran.
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European parliament’s president Roberta Metsola is speaking in Brussels, paying tribute to the Ukrainian people “standing defiant in the face of almost unimaginable daily hardship, through the depths of gruelling winters, even as drones fall indiscriminately, and Russian missiles target women and children.”
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Zelenskyy will speak next.
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Earlier this morning, Zelenskyy published an 18-minute address to the nation in which he has appealed to Donald Trump to visit Kyiv and has said Ukraine will not betray its people in any negotiations with Russia.
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video grab taken from Zelenskyy’s video address from his bunker in Kyiv, as Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”,”caption”:”A video grab taken from Zelenskyy’s video address from his bunker in Kyiv, as Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”,”credit”:”Photograph: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The address included footage released for the first time from the underground bunker in Kyiv’s Bankova Street where Zelenskyy and his advisers worked and slept during the first hours after Russia’s 2022 attack.
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Zelenskyy recalled receiving a phone call from Joe Biden who offered to help him leave the country “urgently”. “Here I replied that I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelenskyy said, recalling one of the most famous moments of his presidency.
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The video showed Zelenskyy leaving roses at a memorial in Maidan Square in Kyiv to the thousands of Ukrainian servicemen and women who have died over the past four years.
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Our correspondent Luke Harding is in Kyiv and has this summary:
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Meanwhile, the European Parliament is about to start its extraordinary session to mark the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian aggression on Ukraine.
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Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to speak shortly via a video link from Kyiv.
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Russian affairs reporter
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Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, has accused Britain and France of preparing to arm Kyiv with a nuclear bomb, a claim made without providing any evidence.
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In a statement released on Tuesday, the agency said the two European countries were allegedly pursuing the move to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position in the war against Russia, which entered its fifth year this week.
\n “Such extremely dangerous plans by London and Paris show they have lost their sense of reality,” the SVR said, adding that the countries were wrong to believe they could avoid responsibility.
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Russian officials quickly seized on the statement, with the county’s federation council calling on the UN security council and the International Atomic Energy Agency to open an investigation.
Russian intelligence agencies have long been known for making outlandish allegations, with Britain frequently portrayed as the main antagonist. Over the weekend, Russia’s spy chief also accused London of masterminding the assassination attempt on a senior Russian general.
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Meanwhile, let’s take a look at some of the European leaders who are in Kyiv this morning.
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Here are the prime ministers of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, travelling on the overnight train from Poland.
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prime minister Mette Frederiksen, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre on the night train to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to show continued support on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”,”caption”:”Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre on the night train to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to show continued support on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Fredrik Sandberg/TT/Shutterstock”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
European Council president António Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are also there, as per photos posted on their social media channels, as is Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal and Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa.
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Poland’s deputy prime minister, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski is there too.
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A number of other leaders will be also joining via video link, taking part in the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing later today.
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As is the former French prime minister, Gabriel Attal.
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We are expecting Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte to speak on the fourth anniversary shortly.
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I will bring you the key lines here.
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It’s the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Russian hoped to take the country in three days, and 12 years since the preceding Russian attack on Crimea.
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As Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his special address this morning:
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\n
“Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: we have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood; Putin has not achieved his goals.
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He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to secure peace and justice.”
\n
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sign reading “Bravery Made in Ukraine” is displayed in a train corridor in Ukraine.”,”caption”:”A sign reading “Bravery Made in Ukraine” is displayed in a train corridor in Ukraine.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Several European leaders are expected in Kyiv to mark the anniversary; others will be joining the fourth anniversary meeting of the Coalition of the Willing via a video link.
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We will hear from Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, among others, as they no doubt pay tribute to the people of Ukraine.
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But, despite the intentions, the EU failed to agree a new package of sanctions to put more pressure on Russia after Hungary’s Viktor Orbán vetoed the proposal over a separate dispute about oil transit through Ukraine.
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I will bring you all the key lines here.
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If you want to re-live the last hours before the invasion, you can read Shaun Walker’s brilliant story on how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them.
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Shaun will be joining me for a Q&A to answer your questions from 2pm UK time.
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It’s Tuesday, 24 February 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
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Good morning.
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Key events
Ukraine needs ‘ammunition today and every day’ in its fight against ‘Russian terror,’ Nato’s Rutte says
Ukraine needs to get “ammunition today and every day until the bloodshop stops” along with the “essential” military, financial and humanitarian aid needed to fight against “Russian terror from the skies,” Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte said this morning.
In a speech in Brussels, he said that “Ukraine continues to blunt Russia’s aggression and despite Putin’s posturing, Russia has failed to meet their ambitions on the battlefield.”
“Their security is our security. There cannot be true peace in Europe without real peace in Ukraine.”
He added that Russia’s Vladimir Putin must also show “if he is serious about peace.”
Referencing Winston Churchill’s speech from the second world war, saying that “our qualities and deeds must burn and glow through the gloom of Europe,” Rutte declared that “the flame of freedom is alive in Ukraine, and that flame continues to burn and glow.”
Jakub Krupa
In the meantime, we got the text of Rutte’s speech at the Nato ceremony earlier, so let me bring you his lines now.
Russia shows contempt for Europe, Zelenskyy warns
Zelenskyy continues with a very strong line urging Europe to act against Russian interests in Europe as he says:
“In many ways, we can see how Russia shows contempt for Europe, but Russians should learn that Europe is not just a land for the villas of Russian oligarchs.
It’s not a museum for the lovers of Russian officials to admire beauty, another place of leisure for Russian killers.
Russians must learn that Europe is a union of independent nations and millions of people who do not tolerate humiliation and will not accept violence.”
He urges them to “continue to defend the European way of life”.
He gets a long, standing ovation in response to his speech.
We must be as determined as when invasion began, Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy says “we must be just as determined and strong as we were when the invasion began,” as “the threat hasn’t become smaller.”
He says Europe can only respond to this war working together with the US, even as he remarks it “is not an easy task to maintain transatlantic unity and cooperation in the current conditions.”
He says Europe and the US “must continue to formally apply the full range of protect[ive measures] against Russia,” in particular sanctions against anything that “fills Putin’s wallet with money and allows him to drag this war out.”
“So there must be no place in the free world for Russian oil, for Russian tankers, Russian banks, Russian sanctions …, schemes, or for any Russian war criminals. The time has come to fully ban all participants in Russia’s aggression from entire Europe.”
He says Ukraine needs strong security guarantees, and “a clear date for joining the EU,” warning that if Kyiv doesn’t get a clear political commitment on the date, Putin will do whatever he can do subverse it and delay the process.
Ukraine never chose this war, Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy begins with the words of thanks for “constant attention, support and firm position on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”
“We truly feel that many Europeans do care about what will happen to Ukraine and whether we will be able to achieve a reliable and lasting peace,” he says.
He stresses that Ukraine “never chose this war,” and tried “everything we [could] to stop it.”
He says that in Russia, Europe faces “a mentality of an unstable dictatorship that cannot accept that in Europe every life matters, human rights are important, and nations are protected, big or small.”
“Putin cannot accept one simple thing: that somewhere people can live differently and enjoy a life that is not the one he prefers,” he says.
Zelenskyy says that Putin is actively “choosing” war and conflict, whether in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Africa or Iran.
Ukrainian people ‘stand defiant in face of almost unimaginable daily hardship,’ EP president says
European parliament’s president Roberta Metsola is speaking in Brussels, paying tribute to the Ukrainian people “standing defiant in the face of almost unimaginable daily hardship, through the depths of gruelling winters, even as drones fall indiscriminately, and Russian missiles target women and children.”
Zelenskyy will speak next.
Zelenskyy urges Trump to visit Ukraine in first speech marking invasion anniversary
Earlier this morning, Zelenskyy published an 18-minute address to the nation in which he has appealed to Donald Trump to visit Kyiv and has said Ukraine will not betray its people in any negotiations with Russia.
The address included footage released for the first time from the underground bunker in Kyiv’s Bankova Street where Zelenskyy and his advisers worked and slept during the first hours after Russia’s 2022 attack.
Zelenskyy recalled receiving a phone call from Joe Biden who offered to help him leave the country “urgently”. “Here I replied that I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelenskyy said, recalling one of the most famous moments of his presidency.
The video showed Zelenskyy leaving roses at a memorial in Maidan Square in Kyiv to the thousands of Ukrainian servicemen and women who have died over the past four years.
Our correspondent Luke Harding is in Kyiv and has this summary:
European Parliament sits to mark fourth anniversary of war
Meanwhile, the European Parliament is about to start its extraordinary session to mark the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian aggression on Ukraine.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to speak shortly via a video link from Kyiv.
Jakub Krupa
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte’s remarks were not broadcast as expected.
I am checking with Nato and will bring you the lines as and when we have them.
Russia accuses Britain, France of preparing to arm Kyiv with nuclear bomb without any evidence
Pjotr Sauer
Russian affairs reporter
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, has accused Britain and France of preparing to arm Kyiv with a nuclear bomb, a claim made without providing any evidence.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the agency said the two European countries were allegedly pursuing the move to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position in the war against Russia, which entered its fifth year this week.
“Such extremely dangerous plans by London and Paris show they have lost their sense of reality,” the SVR said, adding that the countries were wrong to believe they could avoid responsibility.
Russian officials quickly seized on the statement, with the county’s federation council calling on the UN security council and the International Atomic Energy Agency to open an investigation.
Russian intelligence agencies have long been known for making outlandish allegations, with Britain frequently portrayed as the main antagonist. Over the weekend, Russia’s spy chief also accused London of masterminding the assassination attempt on a senior Russian general.
European leaders arrive in Kyiv to mark the fourth anniversary
Meanwhile, let’s take a look at some of the European leaders who are in Kyiv this morning.
Here are the prime ministers of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, travelling on the overnight train from Poland.
European Council president António Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are also there, as per photos posted on their social media channels, as is Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal and Latvian prime minister Evika Siliņa.
Poland’s deputy prime minister, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski is there too.
A number of other leaders will be also joining via video link, taking part in the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing later today.
As is the former French prime minister, Gabriel Attal.
Nato’s Rutte marks fourth anniversary of war
We are expecting Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte to speak on the fourth anniversary shortly.
I will bring you the key lines here.
Morning opening: Four long years
Jakub Krupa
It’s the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Russian hoped to take the country in three days, and 12 years since the preceding Russian attack on Crimea.
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his special address this morning:
“Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: we have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood; Putin has not achieved his goals.
He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to secure peace and justice.”
Several European leaders are expected in Kyiv to mark the anniversary; others will be joining the fourth anniversary meeting of the Coalition of the Willing via a video link.
We will hear from Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, among others, as they no doubt pay tribute to the people of Ukraine.
But, despite the intentions, the EU failed to agree a new package of sanctions to put more pressure on Russia after Hungary’s Viktor Orbán vetoed the proposal over a separate dispute about oil transit through Ukraine.
I will bring you all the key lines here.
If you want to re-live the last hours before the invasion, you can read Shaun Walker’s brilliant story on how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them.
Shaun will be joining me for a Q&A to answer your questions from 2pm UK time.
It’s Tuesday, 24 February 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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