Zelenskiy celebrates Ukraine’s Independence Day alongside Canadian PM

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy marked Independence Day on Sunday alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said Ukraine would receive more than C$1 billion ($723 million) in military aid from a previously announced package next month.

Three and a half years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskiy is facing pressure from Washington to make concessions to Russia as US President Donald Trump seeks to broker a peace deal.

A woman wearing a blindfold with the word 'Silence!' and a T-shirt with an image of a missing Ukrainian serviceman stands next to missing servicemen's relatives holding flags, signs and banners during a rally, as the country celebrates Independence Day, in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/ Alina Smutko

"We are all working to ensure that the end of this war would mean the guarantee of peace for Ukraine, so that neither war nor the threat of war are left for our children to inherit," Zelenskiy told a crowd of dignitaries in Kyiv's Sophia Square, against the backdrop of an 11th century cathedral.

As well as Carney, on his first visit to Ukraine since taking office in March, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, attended the ceremony. Zelenskiy presented Kellogg with a state honor.

"We need peace," Zelenskiy told Kellogg as he handed him the medal in a leather case.

Zelenskiy acknowledged the human cost of the war, but said that Ukrainians would fight to remain on their land.

Ukraine is now working with its European allies to draft potential frameworks for post-war security guarantees for Kyiv, which Trump has expressed openness to. — Reuters