February 24, 2025 marks the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On the ground, the fighting has continued at high intensity, causing a great deal of human casualties and material damage. According to a confidential Ukrainian military estimate published by The Wall Street Journal, more than one million military casualties on all sides, killed or wounded, were counted in September 2024.

In 2024, Russian troops slowly nibbled away at territory in Ukraine. Yet, for the first time since 1945, Russia suffered an offensive on its territory. On August 6, 2024, the Ukrainian army took advantage of the low level of defense in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine to enter Russia.

On the diplomatic front, in February 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said for the first time that he was willing to cede certain territories occupied by Moscow. But the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House has reshuffled the cards. The US president has directly and unilaterally opened peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin. Ukraine and the Europeans now fear that they will not be included in the talks.