Zelenskyy marks independence day from Soviet Union vowing to fight for and defend Ukraine

Ukraine marked its Independence Day Sunday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowing continued resistance against Russian forces as the country remains the target of Moscow's all-out war, now well into its fourth year.

In a defiant speech, Zelenskyy said that each day Kyiv pushed back against Moscow's troops to ensure peace in Ukraine.

"Today, Ukraine celebrates Independence Day. Fighting, defending itself against attacks and alarms. And, very importantly, not alone. Every day, we are pushing this war back to where it came from, to the Russian sky and Russian soil," he said in a speech.

"With each passing year of this war, the pressure on Russia and their real losses are increasing," he added, stressing that peace is "coming."

US special envoy Keith Kellogg and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were part of the dignitaries at the anniversary.

Zelenskyy and Carney sign defence agreement

Kellogg was in attendance at the celebrations in Kyiv, during which Zelenskyy awarded him the Ukrainian Order of Merit of the first degree.

At a separate event, Ukrainian officials and their Canadian counterparts signed an agreement aimed at deepening bilateral defence-industrial cooperation.

At a joint briefing, Carney announced military assistance to Kyiv worth 2 billion Canadian dollars (€1.3bn).

"We're investing today $2 billion in new military assistance for Ukraine. 800 million ... will help strengthen Ukraine's arsenal for the most urgently needed defense equipment—drones, ammunition, and armoured vehicles," said Carney.

According to Zelenskyy, the signed agreement by Ukraine's Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal and his Canadian counterpart David McGinty on expanding and creating new production facilities in Ukraine and Canada will strengthen Ukraine's stability and ability to counter the Russian threat.

68th prisoner exchange completed

Meanwhile, another prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia on Sunday, the 68th since the war broke out.

According to Zelenskyy, apart from military personnel, eight Ukrainian civilians also returned home as exchanges continue on both sides.

All released defence personnel belong to the ranks of privates and sergeants. Almost all of them spent more than three years in captivity.

The servicemen who returned today defended the cities of Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy and guarded the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukrainian authorities said.

Among them was a former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolayenko.

As reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and Freedom, two Ukrainian journalists, Dmytro Khylyuk and Mark Kaliush, were also freed.