EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova on the Fourth Anniversary of the Full-Scale War in Ukraine

Four long years have passed since the Russian soldiers violated this remarkable country and landed at the Hostomel airport. 

I did not want to write something formal just out of duty. And I did not want to repeat worn-out phrases. 

Dear Ukraine, dear Ukrainians, 

I wake to the same sirens as you. Every morning they remind me why Europe must stand with you. When explosions echo over the city, when families spend nights in the metro, in corridors, shelters or bathrooms, the war stops being news and becomes human reality. 

It is an honour for me to share even a fraction of what you live through every day — to tremble with fear at the thunder that tears at your ears, to sleep on the floor, to help serve tea at Points of Invincibility, to witness courage that refuses to break. 

I am not a heroine, nor did I ever want to be one. I am here as a witness and as a partner. But living beside you, even for a moment, brings me closer to your extraordinary resilience — the ability to fall, rise, and rebuild again and again. 

People ask me what I feel most often. Admiration. I do not know where you find the strength after sleepless nights, cold apartments, grief, and constant uncertainty. Perhaps from within — from that proud and unbreakable Ukrainian heart. You are so tired, and yet you remain strong. When I asked many of you how you do that, the answer was always the same: “we have no choice! It is our land.” 

Sometimes I doubt. When I stand at memorials to the victims of this terrible war, grief clouds my mind and I search for light in the darkness. And then I see Romchyk dancing. I see veterans painting, I see people daring to dream, to plan, to live — and suddenly the light returns. 

You give me hope. And yet it is also my mission to give hope to you. 

Europe stands with you not only in words. Together with the European Union, we help defend your energy system, support your communities and reforms, and work with you on your path forward. Your European future is is already being built. 

Ukraine will endure. A free Ukraine will prevail. 

I see you. I hear you. I admire you more than I can express. I love you as a second homeland, as part of the European family, and I am proud to stand with you. 

Slava Ukraïni — today and always.