Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated Athens’ support for Kyiv, calling for a “just and lasting peace” grounded in international law.

“Four years on, Ukraine defends its sovereignty with courage and resilience,” Mitsotakis wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We reaffirm our unwavering support for its independence, its people, and for a peace that upholds international law. May the next anniversary mark not another year of war, but a just and lasting peace.”

His statement came as Ukraine marked the fourth anniversary of the invasion that began on Feb. 24, 2022 — a conflict that has become Europe’s deadliest since World War II.

Zelenskiy: ‘We Cannot Betray’ Sacrifices

According to reporting by Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed Tuesday that Ukraine would not betray the sacrifices made by its people in pursuit of peace with Russia.

“We want peace: strong, dignified, lasting peace,” Zelenskiy said in a morning address. He urged negotiators not to “nullify all these years” of struggle and insisted Ukraine would not relinquish land defended at great human cost.

Ongoing peace talks brokered by the United States appear to have stalled over territory. Moscow is demanding that Ukraine cede the remaining 20% of the eastern Donetsk region still under Kyiv’s control. Ukraine has rejected that demand.

The war has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Russian forces have also killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and devastated cities through years of missile and drone attacks.

Russian Position: Kremlin Calls It Wider Confrontation

 The Kremlin exclaimed on Tuesday that “following the direct ⁠intervention ‌in this conflict ‌by Western European countries and the ‌United States, the special military operation de facto turned into a much larger confrontation between Russia and Western countries, which ​had and ​continue to ⁠harbour the goal of destroying our country”.

According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also argued that four years after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine, the fighting was ongoing but Russia remained open to achieving its objectives through political and diplomatic channels. He said Moscow continues to pursue what it describes as peace efforts and maintained that the outcome now depends on the actions of Kyiv.

EU Divisions Over Sanctions and Aid

Reuters reported that European nations had hoped to approve a new sanctions package against Russia and a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine to coincide with the anniversary. However, Hungary, which maintains close ties with Moscow, has vetoed both measures. Slovakia has also criticized Kyiv, accusing it of blocking Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, a claim Ukraine disputes, saying the infrastructure was damaged in a recent Russian strike.

European leaders used the anniversary to underline the broader stakes of the conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that Russia had paid a heavy price for limited territorial gains and said that one day Russians would understand “the enormity of the crime committed in their name.”

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Russia’s aggression poses a serious threat to European security and praised the courage of Ukrainians defending their freedom.