Ukrainian soldiers Pavlo Martseniuk lost friends and comrades he has lost ever since. Russia began its full-scale invasion of his country almost four years ago. The 34-year-old says he does his best to keep alive the memories of the men he fought alongside.
Speaking from a rehabilitation center in the western city of Lviv called “Unbroken Hospital,” he told CBS News about the long and painful process of recovering from the effects of an anti-tank mine explosion that took away the sight in both eyes.
“I couldn’t calm myself and control the flow of my thoughts,” said Martseniuk. “It was all a flurry until I started actively working on my mental health.”
A year later, doctors have reconstructed his face and he is adapting to what he calls “a whole new life”.
CBS News 
Martseniuk says his priority now is to remain a civilian and be an example to his children. He is also a living example of the human costs of Russia’s ongoing invasion, and believes that many people outside of Ukraine don’t really understand his country’s sacrifice, or the wider significance of the struggle.
They were President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday he will meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin In Moscow, to discuss a US-backed proposal to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, is holding meetings with various European leaders, hoping to ensure continued support for his country’s defense.
The details of the high-level discussions remain vague, but it is a major obstacle to the deal that has emerged Ukrainian resistance A proposal by the Trump administration to agree to cede some territory to Russia in exchange for peace.
Mr Trump argued at the weekend that his peace proposal included “making concessions” from Russia.
“These are big concessions,” he told reporters. “They stop fighting, and they don’t take any more land.”
Zelenskyy and some of his European supporters have opposed this approach, arguing that giving Russia control over any territory in currently occupied Ukraine would set a dangerous precedent by rewarding Putin for a unilateral, unprovoked invasion.
By Pavlo Martsenyuk 
It is a difficult question for Martseniuk, who bears the scar of this long conflict.
“We have already given the territory, we have given a part of ourselves. How much more can we give?” he asks.
European leaders, including Poland, have done it recently Twentieth-century Europe cited the highlighted dangers of appeasing unilateral land acquisitions by autocrats.
“Can’t we look at history? Everything has the smell of something done before,” said Martseniuk.
In late October, as President Trump pushed hard for Ukraine to make concessions for a peace deal — even without clear demands from Russia to bend to its key demands — Polish Minister Donald Tusk warned: “None of us should put pressure on Zelensky for territorial concessions.”
“We should all put pressure on Russia to stop its aggression. Appeasement was never a path to a just and lasting peace,” he said. social media post Tusk — whose nation was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II.
But Martseniuk is also acutely aware that with the high cost his country pays every day, Ukraine will need help to continue to withstand Russia’s aggression, let alone repel it.
Ukrainian authorities have not released an official number of soldiers killed in combat since the invasion began, however an investigation According to estimates released in June by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, between 60,000 and 100,000 of the country’s soldiers have died.
“There is no need for mercy,” he said. “Understanding is needed. There is very little understanding.”