As midnight struck in Kyiv ringing in the New Year, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a powerful pledge to the nation: 2025 will be the year Ukraine does everything to end Russia’s brutal invasion, nearly three years after it began.
“May 2025 be our year,” Zelenskyy declared in his annual address, amid a conflict that has battered the country and taken a staggering toll. “We know that peace will not be given to us as a gift but we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war.”
Ukraine Counts on US Support in Fight for Peace
While acknowledging that restoring peace would not come easy, Zelenskyy expressed confidence that Ukraine’s key ally, the United States, would continue to stand by their side. He recalled conversations with outgoing President Joe Biden, president-elect Donald Trump, and other American supporters.
“I have no doubt that the new American president wants and will be able to bring peace and end (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s aggression,” Zelenskyy affirmed.
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Russian Advances Accelerate, Pressure Mounts on Ukraine
The defiant New Year’s message comes as Ukraine faces mounting pressure from Russia’s accelerating territorial gains. An AFP analysis based on Institute for the Study of War data found that in 2024:
- Russia advanced by nearly 4,000 square kilometers in Ukraine, 7 times more than in 2023
- 610 sq km were captured in October and 725 sq km in November – the most since March 2022
While Russia’s advance slowed to 465 sq km in the first 30 days of December, the increased pace highlights the daunting challenge Ukraine confronts heading into 2025. Moscow continues pouring resources into its offensive, with uncertainty looming over future US aid under a Trump presidency.
Key Russian Gas Transit Deal Set to Lapse
In another potential blow, Russian gas is not scheduled to transit Ukraine to Europe as of January 1st, as a crucial deal between Kyiv and Moscow nears expiration. Ukraine has allowed Russia to pipe gas through its territory under a 5-year agreement signed in 2019, but Zelenskyy has ruled out extending it amid the ongoing invasion.
Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Depot
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said it hit a Russian oil depot in the western Smolensk region on Tuesday, igniting oil tanks. The depot supplied Russia’s military according to the general staff. Governor Vasily Anokhin reported that 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down, but debris from one sparked the fuel spill and fire.
Attacks on Russian oil infrastructure have been a key tactic in Ukraine’s efforts to degrade Moscow’s war machine. But nearly three years into the invasion, fatigue is setting in as the human and economic costs mount ever higher.
As 2025 dawns, all eyes will be on Ukraine to see if Zelenskyy’s impassioned vow to achieve peace will finally put an end to Europe’s bloodiest conflict in generations. The stakes for Ukraine, and the world, could not be higher.
