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Ukraine marks four years of Russia’s war

Ukraine marks four years of Russia’s war
By Urooba Jamal, Umut Uras, Jillian Kestler-D'Amours and Federica Marsi
Published On 24 Feb 2026

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24 Feb 2026 - 22:55
 (22:55 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

For more on how Ukrainians marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, check out this story from Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

You can also see our photo gallery, spotlighting key moments over the course of the conflict, here.

And all our coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war can be found here.

24 Feb 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We will soon be closing this live page. Here’s a look at the day’s main events:

  • Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stressed that his country has fought to maintain its independence and wants to reach a “strong, dignified [and] lasting peace” as he marked the four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
  • European leaders converged on Kyiv to show their continued support for Ukraine, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promising to deliver a 90-billion-euro ($106bn) loan “one way or another”.
  • In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine and its allies are “pushing themselves to the edge” in their resolve to defeat Moscow and would “regret” it.
  • The UN General Assembly passed a resolution reaffirming its support for a “lasting peace” in Ukraine; Russia voted against the non-binding measure while the US abstained.
24 Feb 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

US warned Ukraine not to hit US interests in strikes on Russia, envoy says

The Ukrainian government has received an official message from the US State Department after attacks by Ukraine on the Russian port of Novorossiysk affected US interests in Kazakhstan, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to ⁠the US Olha Stefanishyna.

“We have heard from the Department of State that we should refrain from … attacking American interests,” she told reporters.

“This reach-out was not related to encouraging Ukraine from refraining to attack Russian military and energy infrastructure. It was related to the very fact that American economic interest was affected there.”

Stefanishyna said ‌the incident made clear that Ukraine had failed to establish similarly close economic ties with the US in the decades since its independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and she was determined to change that.

24 Feb 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Ukraine faces ‘darkest war winter yet’: Norwegian Refugee Council

Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, has urged countries around the world “not [to] forget the promises they have made to Ukrainians” as the country reels from continued Russian attacks.

“It is vital that families enduring years of hardship do not become invisible casualties of war,” Egeland wrote on X.

“Those internally displaced in Ukraine face terrible choices just to survive in harsh winter conditions and Russian targeting of energy infrastructure,” he said.

24 Feb 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

WATCH: Blackouts, air raid sirens and exhaustion shape daily life in Ukraine

Four years into the Russia-Ukraine war, Al Jazeera’s Nils Adler returns to Ukraine to capture how blackouts, air raid sirens and exhaustion shape daily life.

Watch the episode of Between Us below:

24 Feb 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

Zelenskyy ‘grateful’ to international community after UNGA vote

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed a UN General Assembly vote in favour of a resolution sponsored by Kyiv, which he said called for a “full ceasefire and the return of our people”.

“I am grateful to each of the 107 countries that stood with Ukraine today in defense of life at the UN,” Zelenskyy said. “We will keep working actively to achieve peace, together with our partners.”

24 Feb 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

US senator accuses Trump of ‘ignoring Putin’s crimes’

Peter Welch, a progressive Democratic senator in the US Congress, says he will “continue to work to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and hold Putin accountable”.

Observers have accused Trump of failing to apply meaningful pressure on Russia to agree to a deal to end the war while regularly blaming Ukraine for the failure of US diplomatic efforts so far.

Separately, a group of bipartisan US senators put forward a resolution, reaffirming their support “for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, as well as condemning continued Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.

The resolution also called on Congress and Trump “to impose additional financial pressure” on Putin and “third-country enablers” of Russia’s war effort in order to press the Russian president “to meaningfully engage in peace talks”.

24 Feb 2026 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)
Opinion

Three myths about the Russia economic war

By Maximilian Hess

Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the devastation wrought by the Kremlin’s drones, infantry, missiles and armour continues to be matched by economic destruction. This is a cost borne mostly by Ukraine: The World Bank now estimates the cost of reconstruction, were the war to end today, is now $588bn, nearly three times the country’s GDP.

Simultaneous to the fighting in Ukraine itself, the economic war between Russia and the West rages on. But that battlefield has shifted far more sharply than the one in southern and eastern Ukraine has over the past year. With a war of attrition being waged on the ground, how the geo-economic battleground plays out from here may well prove more important in determining how the conflict is ultimately settled.

The nature of the changes in both sides’ economic fighting conditions, however, is obscured by a dense fog of war. This is compounded by the fact that most participants in this economic conflict are increasingly happy to obscure the state of the geo-economics at play, and to let narratives play out that are more rooted in propaganda and politics than fact. To understand where the war is headed, it could help to bust three myths about Russia’s current state of economic affairs and Western capabilities.

Read more here.

Rosneft’s Russian-flagged crude oil tanker Akademik Gubkin transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkiye, on November 28, 2024 [File: Yoruk Isik/Reuters]
24 Feb 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)
Explainer

Why did US abstain from UN General Assembly vote?

Tammy Bruce, the US deputy ambassador to the UN, says she welcomed the General Assembly resolution’s appeal for a ceasefire.

But she said the resolution included “language that is likely to distract” from diplomatic efforts to end the war rather than support them – without explaining what specific language was at issue.

The US delegation had pressed for a separate vote on paragraphs involving Ukraine’s territorial integrity and international law, but its push was rejected.

While Washington has said it is committed to reaching a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, unconditional US support for Kyiv has cooled dramatically under Trump, compared with his predecessor, Joe Biden.

Trump welcomes Zelenskyy at the White House on February 28, 2025 [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
24 Feb 2026 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

US special envoy Witkoff plans to meet Ukraine’s top negotiator in Geneva

United States special envoy Steve Witkoff has said he plans to meet chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov in Geneva, Switzerland, later this week, according to the Interfax news agency.

Speaking during a Victor Pinchuk Foundation event in Davos, Switzerland, Witkoff said he communicates almost daily with Umerov.

“The goal is to continue the conversation, to explore different options for how we can reach a peace agreement,” said Witkoff, according to Interfax.

The US envoy is travelling to Geneva with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for talks on Thursday on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Witkoff is leading US efforts to reach a deal to end the war [File: Win McNamee/Getty Images via AFP]
24 Feb 2026 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Norway hails ‘sensational’ Ukraine survival, says ‘Putin has lost already’

Norway’s top diplomat has hailed Ukraine’s survival since Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago and has told the AFP news agency that Putin has lost the war.

Moscow had hoped to take Kyiv in days when it sent troops across the border on February 24, 2022. Four years later, “it is sensational actually that Ukraine is still there,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in an interview in Geneva.

Hundreds of thousands of people have died since the conflict began. Vast areas of eastern Ukraine have been devastated, and millions of Ukrainians have been forced from their homes. But even as US-led peace talks remain deadlocked over territory and security guarantees for Ukraine, Barth Eide highlighted that “more than 80 percent of the territory is under sovereign, democratic [Ukrainian] control.”

“The state works. … It has institutions. It has parliament and rule of law,” he said while also pointing out that most people remain supportive of the war. “They think it’s terrible [but] necessary to stand up against Russia,” he said.

And while you see bombed-out buildings in Ukraine, he stressed that “the streets are clean. … The kids are dressed up and go to school.” “That’s quite amazing. So I would say Putin has lost already because he lost when his initial plan clearly failed.”

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide [File: Muhammed Abdullah Kurtar/Anadolu via Getty Images]
24 Feb 2026 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

Italy will keep sending military aid to Ukraine in 2026, official says

Italy ‌will send more military aid to Ukraine this ⁠year, a ⁠senior government official says, adding that continued support for Kyiv could help bring Russia to ⁠the negotiating table.

“We have already agreed that aid of all kinds, including military aid, will continue to be ⁠provided to Ukraine throughout the year, so there will obviously be further aid packages in 2026,” said Giovanbattista Fazzolari, a cabinet undersecretary and a close aide to Prime Minister Giorgia ‌Meloni.

Speaking at a conference marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he added that continuing backing for Kyiv “could lead Russia to genuine peace negotiations within a reasonable time frame”.

Rome has so far supported Ukraine’s military effort with 12 aid packages, including air ⁠defence systems.

24 Feb 2026 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

Ukrainians gather in Bucha to remember victims on war anniversary

The town near Kyiv where dozens of bodies were found strewn on the streets in the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion, some with their hands bound, has become a symbol of the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainians held a memorial in Bucha on the war’s fourth anniversary to remember the lives that were lost.

“Four years have passed and it seems like it was yesterday,” war veteran Petro Mazin told Al Jazeera. “What can you feel? Sadness, pain for the dead who died defending the state and how many more will there be?”

“We do not know when the war will end. There is no end in sight, but we should not give up,” he added.

Andrii Holovin, a priest, said Ukrainians will keep fighting. “I hope the time will come when the darkness will disappear from the state of Ukraine,” he said.

Relatives visit the Bucha City Cemetery to honour fallen soldiers and civilians who were killed in Russia’s invasion [Paula Bronstein/Getty Images]
24 Feb 2026 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

Merz urges China to use influence with Russia over Ukraine war

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says China has a “significant opportunity” to exert influence with Russia over the Ukraine war.

“We need to cooperate to resolve the major crises and wars of our times, including in our efforts to finally put an end to Russia’s four-year war of aggression against Ukraine,” Merz said as he left for a Beijing visit.

“China has a significant opportunity to exert its influence here … Beijing has a voice that will be heard, even in Moscow,” he said.

24 Feb 2026 - 19:30
 (19:30 GMT)

WATCH: UN delegates walk out during Russian ambassador’s speech

Dozens of delegates have walked out of Russian ambassador Gennady Gatilov’s speech to the UN conference on disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.

They gathered outside the room holding the Ukrainian flag, returning once the ambassador had finished speaking.

Watch our report below:

24 Feb 2026 - 19:15
 (19:15 GMT)

Lead Ukraine negotiator meets Turkish foreign minister

Rustem Umerov, the lead Ukrainian negotiator in talks to end the war, says he briefed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara on recent diplomatic discussions in Geneva and the security situation in Ukraine.

“We discussed coordination of further steps and the prospects of the diplomatic track. We also focused separately on humanitarian issues,” Umerov said in a social media post.

“We are grateful to our Turkish partners for their consistent position since the first days of the full-scale war,” he added, noting that Turkiye closed two straits to Russian warships in 2022 in “an important step for security in the Black Sea region”.

 

24 Feb 2026 - 19:00
 (19:00 GMT)

Photos: Ukraine supporters rally in Berlin

People visit a memorial for the victims of the war in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin on February 24, 2026 [Ralf Hirschberger/AFP]
Protesters take part in a rally marking the fourth anniversary of the war in Berlin [Ralf Hirschberger/AFP]
[Ralf Hirschberger/AFP]

24 Feb 2026 - 18:45
 (18:45 GMT)

Ukraine does not feel abandoned by US government, envoy says

Ukraine does not feel abandoned by the ⁠US government, its US ambassador, Olha Stefanishyna, has ⁠told reporters, adding that she expected President Donald Trump to discuss ending Russia’s war in Ukraine ‌during his State of the Union speech later today.

In a post on X, she said peace would “not come through concession to aggression” but “through strength”.

Trump’s “hand is only strengthened by levying new sanctions to constrain Russia’s war machine while strengthening Ukraine’s position through arms”, she wrote.

24 Feb 2026 - 18:30
 (18:30 GMT)

US has ways to pressure Russia ‘to negotiate in good faith’

We have more from Yuriy Sak, the ex-Ukrainian defence ministry adviser, who said there will be a point in time when Russia “will have no other choice but to join the negotiating process in good faith and be serious about it”.

“When that moment comes, we need to have this bridge – this diplomatic process – alive and operational,” Sak told Al Jazeera.

He said the war’s impact on the Russian economy, coupled with the military situation on the ground, are some of the factors that will push Moscow to that point.

Sak added that US President Donald Trump’s administration also has more tools at its disposal to pressure the Russian government, which “will force Russia to negotiate in good faith”.

Trump has been pushing for an end to the Ukraine-Russia war [File: Ezliabeth Frantz/Reuters]
24 Feb 2026 - 18:15
 (18:15 GMT)

Ex-Ukrainian government adviser says Russia blocking peace process

Yuriy Sak, a former adviser to the Ukrainian defence ministry, says Ukraine should not be asked to make more concessions amid stalled efforts to reach a deal to end the war.

“Ukraine should continue to be committed to the peace process. We have shown, in this peace process, our ability to seek compromises and to adhere to the arrangements that are being discussed,” Sak told Al Jazeera from Kyiv.

In contrast, Sak accused Russia of maintaining a maximalist and “unrealistic” position when it comes to the negotiations.

“Therefore, unfortunately, at this stage, the peace process has not produced the results that Ukraine wants, the world wants – but apparently Russia doesn’t,” he said.