Zelensky on Independence Day: "Ukraine is not a victim, but a fighter."

Special Envoy to KievKiev's sky was a deep blue early Sunday morning. After days of rain, Some Ukrainians wanted to interpret it as a divine gift to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day.The blue and yellow of the flag have colored Ukrainian cities since the beginning of the Russian invasion: wars accentuate nationalism.

But this Sunday they did it in a special way. In downtown Kiev, almost everyone was wearing the Ukrainian colors, as well as the country's traditional dress: the Vixivanka. The capital's shops had patriotic flags, clothing, and flowers on sale. Relatives of fallen soldiers wept and wrapped themselves in flags bearing the faces of their deceased. After three and a half years of total invasion, almost everyone has war deaths to pay tribute to. In the symbolic Maidan Square, you can buy toilet paper with Putin's face printed on it. Putin is called Putinler. It's a play on words: Putin + Hitler. When it rains, some Ukrainians place Russian flags on the ground to angrily dry their feet. War is also fought this way: by metaphorically trampling on the invader.

"Today, Ukraine is stronger and has self-respect. We don't expect gestures of goodwill; we have our own will," said President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose diplomatic agenda has been particularly busy in recent days. The world hopes that the negotiations and the latest meetings led by Trump will be fruitful. Most Ukrainians don't believe him. Perhaps that's why Zelensky took advantage of Sunday's Independence Day celebrations to launch a message of resilience and unity, which he described as a "decisive" moment in the country's history. The Ukrainian president released a video recorded on Maidan Square, in which he stressed that Ukraine has shown that it is "not a victim, but a fighter" capable of stopping the Russian army.

The situation at the front is complicated for his troops. The Russian army has more strength and more men willing to die. Kiev has been merely withstanding the onslaught of the Kremlin's forces for months. Several recent Western intelligence reports claim that Moscow's casualty count now exceeds one million, including both dead and wounded. Figures from World War II in the Europe of artificial intelligence.

The president also recalled that on February 24, 2022, with the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the country "took its destiny into its own hands" and rejected the myth of Moscow's military invincibility. "We have shown that the world's second-largest army can be stopped," Zelensky declared, also stressing that today's Ukraine "will never again be forced into the shame of a false compromise imposed by Russia" and that only a "just peace" can guarantee stability. "Our future depends only on us, and the world knows this and respects us as equals."

The speech took place in Independence Square, the founding site of citizen uprisings and, according to Zelensky, a symbol that "every flag bears the story of a fallen hero" in the defense of the country. He's right. And the flags pile up and gather because the most accepted estimates of corpses also speak of chilling figures.So many corpses, an entire generation damaged by war, will determine the country's future. Zelensky knows this, and so does the population. But we must trust in a better future: "We built a Ukraine so strong that our children and grandchildren will never have to take up arms again to defend freedom. In a hundred years, new generations will celebrate Independence Day here, in Maidan Square. They will do so in peace and with confidence for the future."

Drone attacks and nuclear alarm

International displays of support accompanied Zelensky on the anniversary of independence. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Kiev and stressed the importance of "solidarity with friends" of Ukraine. Leaders from across Europe, still striving to demonstrate continued support in Kiev even amid the uncertainty posed by Trump, sent solemn messages to the Ukrainian people. Some, such as the United Kingdom, France, and Norway, accompanied their messages of support and congratulations with tangible gifts: Basically, financing for weapons, which is what a country at war needs most..

That's why it was considered very bad news today that the United States Department of Defense continues to prevent Ukraine from using long-range ATACMS missiles (up to 300 kilometers) against Russian territory in an attempt to foster rapprochement with Moscow and explore avenues toward a peace agreement. This was revealed by The Wall Street Journal This Saturday. The news was received with pessimism by Zelensky's administration, which, despite everything, must put on a brave face so as not to anger Trump.

And the diplomatic situation remains at a standstill. Despitehas the summit on August 15 in Alaska Between Trump and Putin, the prospects for a peace agreement have diminished. Trump expressed his frustration and once again threatened new economic sanctions or tariffs against Moscow if there is no tangible progress in the next two weeks. Trump's announcements, however, should be taken with a grain of salt, because He keeps changing his mind and, according to Ukrainians, lets Putin buy time..

Zelensky, for his part, insists on an unconditional truce and accuses Russia of blocking any direct meetings with Putin. But the Kremlin, through Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, repeatedly stated this week that Moscow will only accept a summit "when there is a clear agenda" and accused the Ukrainian president of rejecting all proposals, and his European allies of wanting strategic "destruction."

And meanwhile, the war continues. And it will continue. Moscow has reported new Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian infrastructure. According to the Kursk regional government, the province that Kiev invaded last summer and which has now been almost completely recaptured by the Kremlin, several unmanned aircraft have hit the local nuclear power plant, causing a fire that has damaged a transformer. Russia has also bombed several locations in Ukraine, especially in areas close to the front. In the last 24 hours, the Russian army claimed to have captured two new villages in the Donetsk region. In Kiev, a soldier was buried this morning: Afghan Orudjov, 28. Cemeteries across the country continue to grow.

The information explained in this last paragraph has had little echo on either side of the trenches. Nor beyond. The information explained in this last paragraph It is part of the normality of war.