By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President Volodymyr Zelensky in a defiant address to mark the nation’s independence on Sunday said his country would continue to fight for its freedom “while its calls for peace are not heard.”
“We need a just peace, a peace where our future will be decided only by us,” he said, adding that Ukraine was “not a victim, it is a fighter”.
He continued: “Ukraine has not yet won, but it has certainly not lost.”
Independence Day celebrations were held in Kyiv, as the country marked its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Also on Sunday, Russia and Ukraine both confirmed that a prisoner swap had taken place, with 146 soldiers on each side being exchanged.
Russia’s defence ministry also said eight people from Russia’s Kursk region, which was partially occupied by Ukraine for several months, had been handed over and would return home.
Zelensky said those returned by Russia included soldiers, border guards and civilians, most of whom have been in captivity since 2022.
He also said journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, who was “kidnapped in the Kyiv region” at the start of the war, was coming home.
President Zelensky said Ukraine would continue to fight for a secure and peaceful future, in an independence day address
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney took part in the celebrations, and stood beside Zelensky at St Sophia’s Cathedral as he addressed the crowd:
“I want to say something very simple and important: Canada will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.”
He said drones, ammunition and armoured vehicles, part of a $2bn Canadian dollars (£1bn) military package, would be delivered to Ukraine as early as September, Ukrainian media reported. The deliveries would make up more than half of a support package he announced in July.
Also present was US envoy Keith Kellogg, whom Ukrainian media reported was awarded the Order of Merit, first degree by Zelensky during the ceremony.
After Zelensky thanked him and US President Donald Trump for their support, Kellogg could be heard telling Zelensky: “We’re going to make this work”.
