The faces were grave, the moment sensitive, but Ukraine has seen darker hours. Each in turn, the Ukrainian leaders who spoke for eight hours before an audience of journalists in Kyiv on Sunday, February 25, on the occasion of the "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum organized by the presidency, called for "unity," believing it to be the only guarantee of victory. "Now is the hardest moment for our unity. If we all split, both externally with the partners, and God forbid, internally, then it would be the weakest moment. It hasn't happened yet," insisted President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The "anniversary" of a war is inevitably a rather strange event, primarily media-driven and distinct from the real pace of the conflict. It does, however, provide an opportunity to get a feel for the atmosphere and to take stock. A year ago, on the occasion of the first year of the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, Zelensky celebrated "the year of invincibility," during which Ukraine had resisted Moscow's attack, beyond all predictions. For this second anniversary, which gave rise to commemorations all over the country, he felt that after "the year of survival," then "the year of resilience," came "the year of challenges," and that, like the others, it would require "courage."

The Ukrainian leader made no secret of the fact that Moscow was exerting "strong pressure" on the 1,000 kilometers of front lines, while also stating that "the Russian offensive launched in October 2023 has come to nothing." The Russian army's only winter conquest was that of the town of Avdiivka, in the Donbas. Zelensky also predicted a forthcoming Russian offensive "between May and July," asserting that "we are preparing for it." Moreover, he linked this prospect to the recent change of military command, which occurred with the appointment of General Oleksandr Syrskyi to head the army.

Looking back on the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive of 2023, Zelensky noted two problems. "Our counter-offensive action plans were on the Kremlin's table before the counter-offensive actions began," he claimed, without delivering any details about the origin of the leak or Moscow's act of espionage. He went on to point out that, although Ukraine had received "a lot of very useful, very important things," Western arms deliveries "didn't all arrive on time." According to Zelensky, a Ukrainian victory "depends" on the support of its allies: "If we are strong, with weapons, we will not lose this war," he asserted.

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