At a meeting of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), a witness said "No one I spoke to expects an end to this war anytime soon" and that "they're exhausted, but they fight on because they have no other choice if they want to survive."

The witness told commissioners the conflict is deeply personal for Ukrainians, saying it is about "their culture, their existence, and their individual physical persons," and that civilians are unwilling to concede to what the witness called an aggressor bent on erasing them.

The remarks were part of testimony and discussion; no formal action or vote was recorded on the statements in the provided transcript excerpt. The witness emphasized both the psychological toll — noting repeated references to exhaustion and personal stakes — and the persistent will to resist.

Commissioners did not record a decision tied to the testimony in the excerpted text. The testimony provides direct anecdotal testimony about civilian sentiment and does not include quantitative estimates or policy prescriptions in the provided segments.