Putin's war against Ukraine is 'triple failure for Russia,' says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron waits for the arrival of Madagascar's President Michael Randrianirina outside the Elysee Palace in Paris, February 24, 2026. THOMAS PADILLA / AP

Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine is a "triple failure for Russia," President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, February 24, to mark the four-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of the Western-backed country. Hundreds of thousands have died since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, unleashing the deadliest war on European soil since World War II.

"This war is a triple failure for Russia: militarily, economically and strategically," Macron said on X. "One day, Russians will realize the enormity of the crime committed in their name, the futility of the pretexts invoked and the devastating long-term effects on their country."

Macron said Ukraine had resisted despite everything. "Four years of lives shattered, of violence, rape, torture, war crimes and terror," he said. "But four years in which Ukraine has held on and resisted."

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