'Ukraine has not yet won, but it has certainly not lost,' Zelensky says on independence day

On Ukraine’s independence day, President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged that Ukraine would continue fighting for its freedom.

His comments come after a meeting between himself, US President Donald Trump, and European leaders who met in Washington to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine. 

Before the meeting was held, Donald Trump stated that Ukraine should abandon its hopes of reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO.

“We seek a just peace — one where our future is decided only by us,” he said, adding that Ukraine would resist Russia. 

“Ukraine has not yet won, but it has certainly not lost,” he added.

The speech followed Russian claims that Ukrainian drones had struck energy facilities overnight, igniting a fire at a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region. 

The blaze, which damaged a transformer, was put out with no casualties reported. Authorities confirmed radiation levels remained normal.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it was monitoring the situation. 

The agency’s head stressed that nuclear sites must remain protected at all times and urged both sides to show restraint around such facilities.