“Tomorrow, 24 February, marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Strikes on homes, schools, hospitals, and energy infrastructure continue unabated, leaving people without electricity and heat in the harshest winter of the war”, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, recalled. “As the war enters its fifth year, 2026 must be the year peace returns to Ukraine. But peace cannot be a pause in violence. It must be just, lasting, and secured by binding guarantees and full accountability for aggression. A sustainable peace will be built by Ukraine, with Europe, and grounded in law”. Berset added: “Accountability is not an abstract principle. It is the foundation of Ukraine’s recovery — and of a durable peace. As I highlighted last week in Kyiv, ‘we can help ensure that the crimes do not disappear. That what was done to Ukraine is not erased. That peace, when it comes, is not built on impunity’”.