Three and a half decades after Ukraine gained independence, the nation continues to defend its territorial integrity. Monday marks Ukraine's Independence Day, which falls precisely four and a half years after Russia began its full-scale military offensive in February 2022.
Millions of Ukrainians displaced by the war mark the anniversary torn between remembrance of the country they left behind and the unresolved questions that remain. Misha Dzivitskyi, president of the Brussels-based Ukrainian Voices Refugee Committee (UVRC), which assists Ukrainians living in Belgium, described the occasion as one that reminds the country of its ongoing conflict and its continued resolve. Acknowledgement of autonomy was said to have been strengthened through the period of adversity.
Around 70,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict remain in Belgium under an EU temporary protection arrangement that grants them the right to reside and work across member states, a measure that has been renewed on multiple occasions as the conflict continues. Established within months of the Russian military offensive against Ukraine, the UVRC provides ongoing assistance to Ukrainian refugees in Belgium, supporting them with accommodation, work opportunities, access to social services, language training, and mental health resources.
As the conflict extends over time, the prospect of return grows increasingly uncertain, particularly for households raising children in Belgium. Dzivitskyi noted that reintegration into their home country becomes harder for larger households where children have already established their schooling and daily lives in Belgium. He noted that numerous households retain a desire to go back, though the active conflict and harsh living conditions in Ukraine have left the timeline for return unclear.
Kyiv is also set to host senior European allies on Monday, with discussions centred on obtaining additional air-defence equipment and stepping up diplomatic pressure on Russia. The negotiations are taking place as Russian forces have carried out repeated ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv over recent weeks. The bloc has consistently maintained that the defence of Ukraine and the protection of Europe are fundamentally intertwined.
Pledging support and delivering the tangible military hardware and trained personnel that Ukraine requires are described as distinct undertakings. Ukraine continues to depend substantially on American air defence systems, while the United States grapples with its own munitions shortages stemming from the conflict with Iran, placing additional strain on European nations to provide supplementary support.
Lesia Orobets, who founded the air defence advocacy organisation Price of Freedom and previously served in the Ukrainian parliament, noted that anti-ballistic capacity represents the primary constraint on air defence systems — a challenge extending well beyond Ukraine's borders. She cautioned that Europe's existing defence infrastructure lacked the capability to intercept ballistic missiles in the event they were deployed against the continent's major cities.
Military assistance encompasses a range of elements beyond armaments alone. The EU has directed billions of euros toward stabilising Ukraine's economy while also rolling out successive packages of measures targeting Russia's financial system, energy income, and the tanker fleet used to bypass oil trade restrictions.
Sustaining coordinated pressure on Moscow has grown more challenging over time. Reducing dependence on Russian energy carries financial and economic consequences, with EU member states varying in how much of that burden they have been prepared to absorb. Enforcement presents a further challenge.
Kyiv has alleged that Moscow continues to identify methods of evading international trade restrictions, including acquiring foreign-made components that can be repurposed for arms manufacturing. Orobets stated that dismantling the networks of intermediaries, firms, and partners facilitating the transfer of components that are later converted into weapons would need to be carried out in coordination with allied nations.
Debate continues over whether Ukraine's European partners can maintain their backing over the long term, with analysts noting that the outcome could shape both the trajectory of the conflict and broader regional stability. Whether European nations can fully meet Ukraine's requirements remains an open question among observers.
