President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will keep fighting for its freedom "until its calls for peace are heard" in an Independence Day address to the nation.

"We need a just peace, a peace where our future is decided only by us," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine "is not a victim, but a fighter."

"Ukraine has not yet won, but it has certainly not lost," he said.

Zelensky's statement came after Moscow reported that Ukraine had attacked Russian energy facilities overnight, blaming drones for a fire at a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region.

No one was injured and the fire was quickly extinguished, the power plant's press service said on Telegram. It said the attack damaged a transformer, but radiation levels were within normal limits.

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was aware of reports of the fire, and its director general explained that "every nuclear facility must be protected at all times."

The IAEA has repeatedly called on both Russia and Ukraine to exercise maximum restraint with regard to nuclear facilities during the war.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that a prisoner exchange had taken place, with 146 soldiers from each side being released.

The ministry also announced that eight people from the Russian region of Kursk, which had been partially occupied by Ukraine for several months, had been returned and would be going home.

Independence Day celebrations were held in Kyiv. The country marked the declaration of its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the BBC reported.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took part in the celebrations and stood next to Zelensky in St. Sophia Cathedral as he addressed the crowd:

"I want to say something very simple and important: Canada will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine," he said.

Carney said that drones, ammunition, and armored vehicles worth more than C$1 billion ($722 million) would be delivered to Ukraine as early as September, Ukrainian media reported. The deliveries will make up more than half of the support package he announced in July.

The ceremony was also attended by US envoy Keith Kellogg, who, according to Ukrainian media, was awarded a first-class order of merit by Zelensky during the ceremony.

After Zelensky thanked him and US President Donald Trump for their support, Kellogg could be heard saying to Zelensky, "We will succeed."

Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, wrote on Telegram earlier today: "On this special day — Ukraine's Independence Day — it is especially important for us to feel the support of our friends. And Canada has always been there for us."

Meanwhile, Zelensky shared a letter from King Charles III, in which he sends the people of Ukraine "warmest and most sincere wishes."

"I continue to have the utmost and deepest admiration for the indomitable spirit of the Ukrainian people. I continue to hope that our countries will be able to continue to work closely together to achieve a just and lasting peace," the king wrote.

Zelensky said that "the king's kind words are a real inspiration to our people in this difficult period of war."

The UK government also said that Ukrainian flags would be flown over Downing Street in recognition of the anniversary.

The UK Ministry of Defense has confirmed that military experts will continue to train Ukrainian soldiers until at least the end of 2026, with the extension of Operation Interflex, the code name for the UK Armed Forces' training program for Ukrainian recruits.

Norway announced today that it will provide Ukraine with air defense systems worth about 7 billion kroner ($693 million).

"Together with Germany, we are now ensuring that Ukraine will receive powerful air defense systems," said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

The two countries are financing two Patriot systems, including missiles, and Norway is also helping to purchase an air defense radar.

Also today, Ukraine and Sweden announced that they had agreed to jointly produce defense equipment. The Swedish defense minister said this would "accelerate Sweden's rearmament and meet the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces."

"Ukraine will share and provide technology for its factories in Sweden, and the defense equipment produced jointly in Sweden will be exported to Ukraine," Pal Jonsson wrote in X.

On August 23, Russia announced that its forces in eastern Ukraine had captured two villages in the Donetsk region.

Russian forces are advancing very slowly and with heavy losses in eastern Ukraine and now control about 20% of Ukraine's territory.

A full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched by Russia in February 2022.

Intense diplomatic negotiations on the war took place this month. On August 15, US President Donald Trump met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The summit was hailed as an important step toward peace in Ukraine. Although both leaders said the talks were successful, Trump has since publicly expressed growing frustration over the lack of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

The US president said he was considering imposing additional economic sanctions on Russia or withdrawing from the peace talks.

"I will make a decision on what to do, and it will be a very important decision, namely whether to impose massive sanctions or massive tariffs, or both, or to do nothing and say that this is your battle," Trump explained.

Zelensky has repeatedly called for an unconditional ceasefire, and his European allies are also insisting on a halt to the fighting.

He accused Russia of "doing everything possible" to prevent a meeting with Putin to end the war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Putin is ready to meet with the Ukrainian president "when the agenda for the summit is ready, and this agenda is not ready at all," accusing Zelensky of saying "no to everything." | BGNES