Mohan Sinha
25 Aug 2026

KYIV, Ukraine: Addressing his countrymen and world leaders in Kyiv to mark Ukraine's Independence Day, a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on August 24 that Ukraine wants peace but will not surrender to Russia at any price.

Standing alongside British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and European Council President Antonio Costa, Zelenskyy praised the strength and determination of Ukrainians after more than four years of war with Russia.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine wanted peace but would not simply give up. He warned that Russia was unlikely to stop its aggression even if Ukraine agreed to Russian demands for more territory in the east.

Wearing a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, Zelenskyy thanked several foreign leaders for traveling to Kyiv on the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union. He said their presence showed that Ukraine still has international support.

Burnham, who became prime minister last month, said choosing Kyiv as the destination for his first foreign visit reflected the importance he placed on supporting Ukraine's defense. He also promised that Britain would continue standing with Ukraine despite threats from Russia.

Britain announced that it would allow Ukraine to access classified technology needed to begin producing European SCALP long-range cruise missiles inside Ukraine. The missiles can be used to strike deep inside Russian territory.

The Kremlin criticized the decision, saying the use of classified British technology would worsen relations between Britain and Russia. Moscow had also warned London the previous week that there would be consequences for supplying drones to Ukraine.

Burnham was scheduled to co-chair a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries supporting Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were expected to join the meeting.

The leaders were expected to discuss Ukraine's request for additional air defense systems to protect its cities from Russian ballistic missile attacks.

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine faced a $27 billion defense funding gap this year. He also warned that Russia could increase the scale of the war later this year by mobilizing about 300,000 more troops following parliamentary elections in September.

During his Independence Day speech, Zelenskyy paid tribute to Ukrainian civilians and soldiers who have continued to defend the country. He called on Ukraine's allies to provide all the support needed to end the war. He stressed that Ukraine was not asking its allies to fight on its behalf.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Large parts of Ukrainian territory have also been heavily damaged or destroyed during the war.

US-led peace talks aimed at achieving a lasting end to the conflict collapsed earlier this year after Ukraine rejected Russian demands that it give up additional territory. Fighting continues along a front line stretching about 750 miles, or 1,200 kilometers. Ukraine has managed to bring Russia's overall advances to almost a standstill this year.

The Ukrainian military displayed some of its latest technology during the Independence Day celebrations. A group of aerial drones flew over Kyiv to demonstrate the technology that has helped Ukraine slow Russian forces.

Naval drones moved along the Dnipro River, while several unmanned ground vehicles traveled in formation along one of Kyiv's main commercial roads. Some of the vehicles were equipped with heavy machine guns.

Zelenskyy praised Ukraine's defense industry for its achievements during the war. At the same time, he called for increased production of cruise missiles so that Ukraine could carry out more attacks against Russia during the coming winter.