Zelenskyy appeals to Trump to visit Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to Donald Trump to visit Kyiv, in a video address on the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, and said Ukraine would not betray its people in any negotiations with Russia.

- Luke Harding

Zelenskyy said Putin had not achieved his original war goals or “broken the Ukrainian people”. “He has not won this war,” he said. “We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace. And to ensure justice.”

European leaders echoed the Ukrainian president’s comments, with Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, declaring: “Moscow is not as strong as it would like the world to think.” The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said he was “very sceptical” that the war would finish soon because there was “no willingness” from Russia to stop.

Yesterday Zelenskyy welcomed a group of European leaders to Kyiv, including the British foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. Also attending were prime ministers from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia and Latvia, as well as Finland's president, Alexander Stubb.

Keir Starmer and Macron chaired a meeting of the "coalition of the willing", joining by video. Zelenskyy said his country had survived a "terrible" winter and was grateful to allies for an air defence package this week.

In comments to state media, Putin claimed Ukraine had sabotaged the peace process with the help of western intelligence agencies. He said Kyiv and its allies were so determined to defeat Russia they were pushing themselves to the edge, something he said they would regret.