Three years later, the tables for the Ukraine war have drastically shifted especially after Donald Trump took oath as the President of the United States.
February 24, 2025 marks three years since the war in Ukraine began. What started with Russia's invasion of the neighbouring country has now become the bloodiest conflict Europe has seen since the Second World War. However, three years later, the tables for the Ukraine war have drastically shifted especially after Donald Trump took oath as the President of the United States.
To mark the third year of the conflict, both presidents - Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy - have praised the heroism of their respective soldiers.
The war began on February 24, 2022, when Russian forces stormed into Kyiv and took the Ukrainian capital by storm. While the war shocked the world, Moscow's invasion was also seen as a drastic escalation of the 2014 conflict between the two countries, in which Russia annexed Crimea.
While tensions continued to brew from 2014 onwards, Russia has stated that it launched a "special military operation" in 2022 to combat "neo-Nazis" who were allegedly committing genocide against the Russian population in Donbas.
Ukraine has denied this and stated that this attempt is part of Russia's plan to restore the "great empire."
Furthermore, Ukraine's push for NATO membership also triggered the escalation.
Three years later, causalities - both civilian and military - continue to pour in. As per President Zelenskyy, Ukraine has lost over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers. He also added around 390,000 cases of injuries on the battlefield have been recorded.
As per the data recorded by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, around 12,500 civilian deaths were recorded at the start of the conflict.
However, data regarding the missing and those taken as prisoners of war by Russia remains unknown.
Meanwhile in Russia, Zelenskyy has claimed around 198,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict.
As per independent Russian sites, around 31,481 Russian soldiers are confirmed to have died between January 1, 2024, and December 17, 2024. However, the overall toll is expected to be near a million.
In 2024, the world also noted Ukraine's advancement into the Kursk region as Ukrainian troops launched a counter-offensive for the first time since the war broke out. It also marked the first time a Russian territory had been captured since WWII.
Later into 2024, North Korea and Russia strengthened their ties, resulting in the transfer of many North Korean soldiers to the front line - a development which is continuously denied by Moscow and Pyongyang.
However, the major player in the war remained the US. The first two years of the year saw unconditional US support for Ukraine. However, with the coming of Donald Trump, the tables have turned.
Since the start of his term on January 20, 2025, Trump has removed the "unconditional" support for Ukraine and appears to be cosying up to Russia and Putin.
Furthermore, the United States under Trump has sidelined Europe completely, throwing the EU into a frenzy.
Trump's policy to end the Ukraine war remains diplomacy and economic cooperation with Russia. US officials also met with their Russian counterparts to discuss peace - a meeting to which Ukraine was not invited.
Trump has received backlash from NATO allies such as the UK and France which have urged the Republican leader to rush into a ceasefire agreement with Russia.
Trump has also refused to offer Ukraine a seat at the NATO table, a move which prompted Zelenskyy to agree to step down as President. However, the Ukrainian president added that his resignation must result in membership for Kyiv, adding that if this was not done, the US would have to deal with a "NATO within Ukraine."
As the fourth year of the war begins, Ukraine and Russia also continue to deal with the economic repercussions of the conflict. As per the International Monetary Fund, inflation has spiked to 9.5% in Russia and 12% in Ukraine.
Trump is moving to end the war, but not in a way that would be appreciated by Ukraine and NATO, EU allies. Meanwhile, Russia does not seem to be in a rush to sign a deal it does not agree with.
Moscow has made its demands clear - recognition of the four regions it annexed in September 2022 and Crimea and withdrawal of remaining Ukrainian troops from these regions.
Russia would also seek Russian language rights in Ukraine and ban far-right parties - both of which are unacceptable to Ukraine.
As Russia and Ukraine continue to push their military might, a resolution to the war is not expected anytime soon.