Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked Independence Day in Kyiv on Sunday with a speech pledging to continue fighting for what he called “a just peace.” His remarks came amid heightened tensions, as Russian officials accused Ukraine of launching a drone strike on the Kursk nuclear power plant, which reduced a reactor’s output and raised nuclear safety concerns. A separate strike also ignited a major fire at Russia’s Ust-Luga fuel export terminal.
The celebrations in Kyiv were attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg, with Trump sending a letter reaffirming U.S. support for Ukraine’s independence. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of blocking peace talks and said Kyiv was disrupting progress achieved in earlier negotiations between Putin and Trump.
Zelenskyy has indicated he would be open to meeting Putin, but only if Ukraine’s allies provide firm security guarantees to deter future attacks. Norway also announced a new aid package worth about $696 million in air defense systems. Moscow, however, rejected any talk of such guarantees and warned that the presence of European troops in Ukraine would be “absolutely unacceptable.” Later on Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed strikes on a Ukrainian missile storage site, a drone workshop, and multiple military positions across 146 locations.
Credit: CGTN
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