Ukraine holds national memorial as war hits five years
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- Ukraine marked the war’s fifth year with a nationwide minute’s silence and a prayer service led by President Zelensky and his wife at Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral, attended by European leaders Stubb, Kristersson, and von der Leyen.
- Russia controls just under 20% of Ukrainian territory while the Ukrainian military has prevented full capture of the eastern Donbas region.
- Zelensky warned that Ukraine never chose this war and urged the United States to supply additional interceptor missiles for its Patriot air‑defence systems, citing depleted stocks after Russian winter attacks.
- The Coalition of the Willing, a group of roughly 35 nations led by Britain and France, met in Kyiv and discussed the possibility of deploying troops to guarantee any future ceasefire.
- UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer asserted that Russia’s recent gains amounted to only 0.8% of Ukrainian land at a cost of half a million Russian casualties, countering narratives that Russia holds the upper hand.
- G7 leaders, including US President Donald Trump, issued a joint declaration reaffirming unwavering support for Ukraine’s defence and sovereignty, the first such statement since Trump’s re‑election.
- BBC reported over 186,000 Russian soldiers killed, while UK Minister Al Carns estimated total Russian casualties at 1.25 million, far exceeding the 55,000 officially reported Ukrainian military deaths, which some Ukrainian sources say could be as high as 200,000.
Why it matters: The ceremony spotlights Ukraine’s resolve and the heavy human cost, reinforcing solidarity from European leaders and the G7 while urging further Western military aid; meanwhile Russia’s limited territorial gains and high casualty estimates underscore its strategic strain.
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