Ukraine marked Independence Day on Sunday, and President Volodimia Zelensky vowed to fight to protect the country to commemorate the 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
In a rebellious speech, Zelensky said every day that Kiev was fighting back against the Russian troops to ensure peace in Ukraine.
“Today, Ukraine celebrates Independence Day. We protect ourselves from fights, attacks and warnings. And, very importantly, not alone. Every day, we push this war back to where it came from, the Russian sky and Russian soil,” he said in his speech.
“As this year of war passes, pressure on Russia and their real losses have increased,” he added, emphasizing that peace is “coming.”
US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were among the top officials on the anniversary.
Zelenskyy and Carney Sign Defense contract
Kellogg attended a celebration in Kiev, during which Zelensky awarded him the first degree of Ukrainian achievement, and in another event, Ukrainian officials and Canadian counterparts signed an agreement aimed at deepening bilateral defence industry cooperation.
At a joint briefing, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced military aid worth 2 billion Canadian dollars (1.3 billion euros) to Kiev.
“We are investing $2 billion today in new military aid in Ukraine, which will help strengthen Ukrainian arsenals for the most urgently needed defense equipment (drones, ammunition and armored vehicles),” Carney said.
“And we discussed today about designating and targeting that support where it has the biggest impact. We will.”
According to Zelenskyy, the agreement signed by Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal and Canadian Defence Minister David McGinty’s defense minister on the expansion and creation of new production facilities in Ukraine and Canada will strengthen Ukraine’s stability and ability to counter the threat of Russia.
Zelensky also proposed that Canada be involved in a critical energy project. The country’s Energy Minister will discuss this.
The 68th prisoner exchange has been completed
Meanwhile, on Sunday, another prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia, 68 days after the outbreak of the war.
According to Zelenskyy, eight Ukrainian civilians, apart from the military, also returned home after the exchanges continued on both sides.
All released defense personnel belong to the rank of civilians and sergeants. Almost all of them spent over three years in captivity.
The military, returning today, defended the cities of Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Khalkiv, Zaporisia, Carson, Mykolav, Kiev and Smie, and protected the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukrainian authorities said.
Among them was former mayor of Kherson Volodymyr Mykolayenko.
And as reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners and Freedom, two Ukrainian journalists, Dmytro Khylyuk and Mark Kaliush, were also released.
According to Kyiv, released Ukrainians will receive the full range of necessary medical check-ups and appropriate treatments.