Zelensky Celebrates Ukraine's Independence Day Amid Canadian Support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky celebrated Ukraine's Independence Day today, Sunday, in the capital Kyiv, alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced new military aid worth over one billion Canadian dollars (approximately 723 million US dollars) that will arrive in Kyiv next month as part of a previously announced support package.

In notable statements, Carney said that his country does not rule out sending Canadian forces to Ukraine in the future, as part of the security guarantees currently being formulated between Kyiv and its Western allies.

After more than three and a half years since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky is facing increasing pressure from the United States to make concessions to end the war, especially with US President Donald Trump seeking to mediate a peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.

In a speech delivered in front of a crowd of political and diplomatic figures at the historic Sophia Square, Zelensky said: "We are all working to ensure that the end of this war guarantees peace for Ukraine, so that our children do not inherit the war or its dangers."

High-Level US Visit

The celebration also saw the presence of Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, in his first visit to the former Soviet republic since taking office last March.

Zelensky also expressed his country's desire for peace, but emphasized that Ukrainians will continue to fight to remain on their land.