Joint op-ed of the Ambassador of the European Union, Michalis Rokas, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to North Macedonia, Larysa Dir, on the occasion of four years of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine

Four years ago, on February 24, 2022, the world changed forever. What the Kremlin had planned as a “three-day blitzkrieg” turned into 1462 days of heroic resistance by the Ukrainian people. In the face of a brutal full-scale invasion that destroys lives, ruins destinies, and devastates the country, Ukrainians every single day oppose Russia’s plan of erasing the Ukrainian nation. 

Missiles and blackouts, caused by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure facilities, are no longer new, but they are no less devastating. Each strike still shatters lives, each outage still hurts civilians, families, children, the elderly. Russia targets pedestrians, civilians, residential buildings, public transport, medical facilities and rescue staff every day. Drones are used to track, hunt and terrorize people. This war continues to define lives, inflict pain and suffering and it has brought back to Europe scenes that we have long thought behind us.

This winter Russia has again used cold as a weapon. And this time, even more brutally. Energy infrastructure was deliberately targeted, further escalating the ongoing energy crisis amid subzero temperatures. Due to massive attacks, a state of emergency is currently in effect in the energy sector. Cities plunged into darkness. Families choosing between warmth and safety. The cycle of destruction has increasingly challenged the country’s ability to repair its energy infrastructure, particularly in the face of harsh winter conditions. This is not collateral damage; it is a deliberate strategy of fear. Winter is no longer a season; it is part of the battlefield.

And yet, amid this reality, the word “peace” is increasingly spoken as if it were detached from responsibility. As if it could exist alongside attacks on civilians. 

Russia pretends speaking the language of peace while continuing to bomb homes, hospitals, and energy infrastructure. Since 2014 the Kremlin has repeatedly used diplomacy as a cover to prepare, conceal, or justify further aggression. In 2026 alone, even as discussions on a peace proposal continued, Russia launched a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile toward the Lviv region and carried out large-scale missile and drone strikes across Ukraine. Despite assurances given to Washington that energy infrastructure would not be targeted during negotiations, Russia continued to launch massive, combined attack on Ukraine’s energy sector., These developments highlight a consistent pattern: Russia tends to escalate attacks during or immediately after ceasefires, negotiations, or peace initiatives. While Ukraine seeks diplomatic ends to the war, Russia has never shown restraint or respect for diplomacy, continuing to attack Ukraine, often mostly civilians, in many of the listed instances. 

After four years, Russia’s advances are measured in metres, while its strategy is increasingly to wear down civilians through terror, cold, and destruction. 

Peace does not grow out of exhaustion. It does not emerge from silence. And it certainly does not come from asking the victim to accept injustice in exchange for temporary calm.

Ukraine knows this better than anyone and together with the partners continues the joint work on the overall peace framework, security guarantees, and Ukraine’s post-war recovery.

For four years, Ukrainians have resisted not only with weapons, but with resilience. By keeping schools open underground. By repairing power lines under fire. By choosing democracy in the middle of destruction. This is not only a war against Ukraine. The frontline in Ukraine is the European frontline. Ukraine is not only defending its territory. It is defending a principle that Europe and the world cannot afford to lose: that borders are not negotiable by force, and that people are not bargaining chips.

This is why EU leaders have been clear and consistent. A just and lasting peace must be rooted in international law. There can be no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no meaningful talks without pressure on Russia to engage seriously. Russia is the aggressor and has to make concessions, to contain its future military threat to its neighbours.

Peace without accountability is an illusion. Peace built on impunity is not peace. It is a pause before the next attack. 

Europe has learned this lesson before. Every time aggression was rewarded with silence or concessions, it returned stronger. Peace also means justice. Ukrainian children taken from their families must return home. Prisoners of war must be released. Crimes must be investigated. Responsibility must be established. Without justice, peace becomes fragile and temporary. This is why the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine — a new independent international legal mechanism aimed at bringing to justice the highest political and military leadership of Russia for the crime of aggression — was established in The Hague.  Ensuring that Russia cannot evade responsibility is an inseparable and mandatory component of a future just and lasting peace.

Supporting Ukraine is not about prolonging the war. It is about preventing the next one. This is about protecting a world order based on international law and democratic values — where borders are not changed by force, and where any act of aggression is met with a firm response from the international community.  

The EU is a reliable and predictable partner which supports Ukrainians sovereignty, self-determination and territorial integrity with a clear sense of future for Ukraine as a full member of the EU. 

This is also why enlargement has taken on a new meaning. It is no longer just a policy of integration, but it has become a policy of security. A larger European Union, anchored in shared valued, rules and responsibilities, is more resilient. Strengthening cooperation on energy, defence, borders, and economic security.

Countries like North Macedonia understand this reality. A small country by size, but clear in its choices, North Macedonia has fully aligned with EU foreign and security policy, provided humanitarian and militarily assistance, and stood with Ukraine and the EU to defend joint principles and values.

In doing so, it shows that solidarity is not abstract. It is a choice. And that enlargement is not a promise for tomorrow, but a way of anchoring peace and stability in Europe today.

This war is not only about Ukraine. It is about the kind of Europe we choose to be. One where winters are weaponised and civilians punished, or one where rules matter and aggression fails.

Peace will not come from repeating the word often enough. It will come from choices. From standing firm. From supporting Ukraine. From refusing to normalise the abnormal. Stable and predictable assistance to Ukraine is what can genuinely push Moscow toward diplomacy. Sanctions on Russia, sustained support for Ukraine, and the strengthening of our collective defence – all together contribute to peace. We must ensure that time works against the Kremlin through our coordinated joint actions.

Peace is not a season we wait for, but it is a responsibility we carry.

And Europe must carry it, together.