Russian forces faced Ukrainian attacks on the Dnipro River while attempting to seize the Donbas region 1717 days after the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia.
According to sources, Ukrainian forces isolated Russian troops on the northwestern side of the Dnipro River by destroying bridges with HIMARS. 1717 days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they were still attempting to gain control over the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
The mobilization in September 2022 was unpopular in Russia and led to hundreds of thousands fleeing the country in fear of being called up to the military, including to the border with Georgia.
By March 2025, Ukrainian forces were forced out of Russia again, following fighting in the Kursk region.
The United States has primarily delivered materiel, ammunition, and weapons, while Europe has also assisted with the financing of Ukraine and Ukraine's warfare. The U.S. continues to deliver, but now it is Europe that pays through the PURL program.
The U.S. has shut off access to some intelligence in two rounds: first in 2025 and again in 2026, plus the reduction of Starlink. Concurrently, production reached around 3–4 million drones a year.
So Ukraine, with support from Europe and countries like Japan and South Korea, was in the process of becoming self-sufficient.
In November 2024, Joe Biden lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. Already early in his presidential term, Trump stated that he would negotiate a peace between Russia and Ukraine.
When Zelenskyy visited the White House on the 28th, discussions took place.
A former defense attaché in Russia recalled that Moscow issued an ultimatum in late 2021 demanding that NATO withdraw military infrastructure and weapon systems from the territory of countries that joined the alliance after May 27, 1997. That demand would mean withdrawing all NATO infrastructure and capabilities from all former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact countries, including the three Baltic states, and blocking future memberships for nations like Ukraine.
At the same time, civil society mobilization persisted. In Stockholm, the Måndagsrörelsen gathered citizens at Norrmalmstorg to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine.
Similar public demonstrations materialized on national commemoration days, such as rallies at Sergels Torg in Stockholm and Eidsvolls plass in Oslo, while civic groups like Blågula bilen have delivered more than 1 500 trucks and 4×4 pickups filled with equipment.