Ever since US President Donald Trump initiated peace talks with Moscow in early 2025 in a bid to end the war in Ukraine, there has been much debate over the peace terms Russian President Vladimir Putin may be prepared to accept. In order to reach a lasting settlement, however, it is also vital to understand Ukraine’s expectations for any potential agreement.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian perceptions of victory have evolved in line with the country’s changing fortunes on the battlefield. During the initial weeks of the war, any notions of victory were primarily associated with national survival. The immediate objective was to stop the Russian advance on Kyiv and save the Ukrainian capital, thereby thwarting the central objective of Putin’s invasion and safeguarding Ukrainian statehood.
Ukraine’s spring 2022 victory in the Battle of Kyiv was followed by a series of further military successes later that year, including a stunning counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region and the liberation of Kherson. This led to growing public confidence that Ukraine’s territorial integrity could be fully restored within the country’s internationally recognized borders. As the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion approached, a consensus began to take shape across Ukraine that victory meant the complete end of Russian occupation and the return of all territory to Ukrainian control.
One year later, the costly failure of Ukraine’s summer 2023 counteroffensive led to a noticeable lowering of expectations. With the terrible human cost of the war continuing to mount and little progress to report on the battlefield, perceptions of victory began to shift once more. While the desire to liberate the entire country remained strong, many Ukrainians began to acknowledge that temporary territorial concessions may prove necessary in order to end hostilities. This helped to refocus attention on the need to establish a lasting peace.
Voice of Ukraine 