The Worst Anniversary Ever - EU in Geneva opens photo exhibition

Four years have passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

And yet, it is also four years of extraordinary Ukrainian resistance. Facing a far larger and heavily armed aggressor, Ukraine did not yield. A democratic nation mobilised not only its army, but its entire society, with an unbreakable will to defend its homeland.

In her opening remarks, EU Ambassador Deike Potzel honours the resilience of the Ukrainian people, as for example the children who continue to study between air-raid sirens, because, as they say “our future does not stop.” In the middle of war, life continues. Hope continues.

“After four years, 2026 must be the year this aggression ends. Ukrainians have the right to a just and lasting peace. Ukraine has shown readiness for such a peace, grounded in the Charter of the United Nations. The European Union stands firmly by its side.” EU Ambassador Deike Potzel

She highlighted that what we are witnessing and experiencing is not just about Ukraine. It is, too, about safeguarding the UN Charter, the principles all countries have agreed on: Respecting sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the rejection of aggression. If this flagrant attack on the sovereignty of a country can happen to Ukraine, it can happen to everyone.

“If borders can be changed by force, no country on our continent is safe. Supporting Ukraine is not only solidarity. It is a matter of European security and of defending the rules that protect us all.” EU Ambassador Deike Potzel

Yet, she also underlines that despite this existential threat at our borders, the EU and its Member States do stay invested in resolving other conflicts, too. “We have not forgotten about the horrific war in Sudan, the repercussions on neighbouring countries, we have not forgotten about the humanitarian crises in Gaza, the crisis situation in the Westbank, we stay committed to people in Yemen, the Rohinga, in Haiti – to name but a few. As one of the, if not the largest donor of humanitarian and development assistance worldwide, as a reliable partner of the UN system, as a close partner for NGOs around the world.”

The exhibition was jointly opened to with the Ambassador of Ukraine in Geneva, Tsymbaliuk Yevhenii, who thanked the EU and other partner countries for their ongoing support. He highlighted how the exhibition speaks to his own emotions: The works react to specific landmark events—catastrophes and attacks that entered collective memory, such as the flooding after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam—and to wider phenomena of a wartime life. These include not only pain, loss, and exhaustion, but also the unexpected forms of strength and resilience that emerged: unity, mutual support and solidarity, and the strong will of the Ukrainian people to continue to stand up for their rights and their country.

The EU’s view is crystal clear: The resilience Ukraine has shown must now lead to a just and durable peace.