Ukraine Reaffirms Territorial Integrity As It Marks 35th Independence Anniversary

Ukraine wants peace but will not accept territorial concessions that amount to surrender, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday as the country marked its 35th Independence Day amid the continuing war with Russia.

Speaking in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said Ukraine remained committed to peace but would resist Russian demands for further territorial concessions. “Ukraine absolutely wants peace, but it’s not ready to simply surrender,” he said in a video posted on Telegram.

He warned against suggestions that giving up the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of the eastern Donbas region would bring the conflict to an end. “We will not let them (Russians) seize the initiative, deceive Europe and the entire world into thinking that we simply need to give up Donbas and everything will be over soon,” he said.

The comments came as foreign leaders and dignitaries joined Ukraine’s independence celebrations in Kyiv, including European Council President Antonio Costa and other officials. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was also expected to co-chair a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”, a group of countries supporting Ukraine.

The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and devastated large parts of Ukraine. Peace efforts led by the United States have stalled over disagreements on territorial concessions, while fighting continues along a roughly 1,200-kilometre frontline.

Russia’s battlefield advances have slowed this year, while Ukrainian forces have regained some territory in the southeast. However, Russian forces continue to threaten Kostiantynivka in Donetsk, part of the wider Donbas region.

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Moscow has also intensified long-range air attacks on Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has stepped up strikes against Russian refineries and logistics facilities in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s war effort.

Zelenskiy paid tribute to Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and urged allies to provide “everything” necessary to end the war. He also called for increased sanctions against Russia and renewed diplomatic pressure to bring Moscow to the negotiating table.

“China must no longer remain silent,” he said, while expressing hope that “all the contradictions and fears” held by the United States regarding Russia would eventually disappear.

Other officials attending the celebrations included Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden, Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Estonian President Alar Karis, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.