Ukraine wants peace but won't give in, Zelenskyy says on Independence Day
Summary
Ukraine wants peace but will not surrender to Russia at any price, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Kyiv on Monday during Independence Day celebrations. Foreign leaders including British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and European Council President Antonio Costa attended the 35th anniversary events. Zelenskyy also pressed for more air defense and missile production, while rejecting Russia’s demand for Ukraine to cede remaining Donbas territory.
Key Facts
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was due to announce British support for boosting Ukraine’s domestic production of long-range missiles.
- Burnham was scheduled to co-chair a virtual Coalition of the Willing meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- Zelenskyy urged Ukrainian arms maker Fire Point to accelerate production of its Flamingo cruise missile for use this winter.
- Ukraine’s war effort was complicated by a $27 billion defense funding gap this year, Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
- Zelenskyy warned that Russia could seek to mobilize about 300,000 additional troops after parliamentary elections in September.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers his speech during a commemorative ceremony marking Ukraine's 35th Independence Day, outside St. Sofia cathedral in Kyiv, Monday. AP-Yonhap
KYIV — Ukraine wants peace but will not just give in to Russia at any price, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a defiant speech on Monday as foreign leaders gathered in Kyiv to mark its Independence Day celebrations.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and European Council President Antonio Costa were among the foreign dignitaries present for celebrations of the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's break from the Soviet Union.
Burnham, making his first visit to the Ukrainian capital as prime minister, was due to announce British support to help Kyiv boost its domestic production of long-range missiles.
He was also scheduled to co-chair a virtual meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" — a group of countries backing Ukraine — with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The leaders were expected to discuss Ukraine's request for more air defense systems to stop Russian ballistic missiles pounding Ukrainian cities.
Wearing a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, Zelenskyy thanked several foreign leaders for travelling to Kyiv to show their support. He vowed to find a solution to what he called Russian President Vladimir Putin's "ballistic terror."
"Ukraine absolutely wants peace, but it is not ready to simply surrender," Zelenskyy said in his video address posted on Telegram, which showed him standing in front of the golden-domed St. Michael's monastery.
Zelenskyy said that Russia's demand — repeatedly rejected by Ukraine — that Kyiv cede the remaining part of the eastern Donbas area that is not in Russian hands after four and a half years of war would not be enough to stop Russian aggression.
"Ukraine is different, and it does not give away what is its own," he said.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, greets Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a ceremony to mark Independence Day in Kyiv, Monday. AP-Yonhap
Zelenskyy asks for more missiles
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and swathes of Ukrainian territory have been laid waste, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
U.S.-led peace talks to bring a lasting end to the war stalled as Ukraine refused Russian demands to cede more territory, and fighting continues along a 1,200-km front line.
Zelenskyy highlighted the achievements of Ukraine's defense industry during the war, including strikes with naval drones and mid- and long-range strikes deep inside Russia, but said there was more work to do.
He urged Ukrainian arms manufacturer Fire Point to accelerate production of its Flamingo cruise missile to take the fight to Russia this winter.
Burnham signalled on Monday he would allow the use of classified British technology for Kyiv to start production of European SCALP long-range cruise missiles by Ukraine.
The Kremlin said the use of classified British technology would "add fuel to the fire," and has warned London of "consequences" for supplying drones to Kyiv.
Tribute to Ukranian people
Russia's advances on the battlefield have slowed this year and Ukraine has recaptured some land in the southeast. But Moscow's forces are threatening the strategic eastern city of Kostiantynivka in the eastern region of Donetsk which forms part of Donbas, together with the Luhansk region.
Exploiting Ukraine's critical shortage of anti-ballistic missiles, Russia has also stepped up its campaign of air strikes at cities far from the front line this summer.
Ukraine has also increased its long-range attacks on Russian refineries and logistics infrastructure, aimed at undermining Moscow's war effort. It hit four logistics hubs owned by Russia's second-largest online retailer Ozon in southern Russia in drone strikes on Monday, the company said.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine's war effort was complicated by a $27 billion defense funding gap this year. He also warned that Russian could look to mobilize some 300,000 additional troops after parliamentary elections in September.
Paying tribute to the people and soldiers defending Ukraine in the war, Zelenskyy called on allies to give it "everything" needed to stop the war. "We are not asking you to fight for us," he said.
Urging allies to bring Russia to the negotiating table and hit it with more sanctions, Zelenskyy said he hoped that the United States will lose "all the contradictions and phobias" regarding Russia. "China must no longer remain silent," he added.
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