Ukraine defiant on independence day: Zelensky vows retribution

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Ukrainian Independence Day that the ailing old man from Red Square, constantly threatening everyone with a red button, will not dictate his "red lines" to us. Ukraine and Ukrainians will decide for themselves how to live, which path to follow, and what choices to make.

- Today we celebrate the 33rd Independence Day of Ukraine. And what the enemy brought to our land has now returned to his home. Those who wanted to turn our land into a buffer zone should think about whether their country will become a buffer federation. That is the reply of independence, said President Volodymyr Zelensky in his 13-minute speech.

The video, published on Saturday morning on Ukrainian Independence Day, was recorded in the Sumy region – as Zelensky emphasized – "on the border between an independent European state and the largest terrorist organization in the world".

- Our enemy will know what retribution in Ukrainian style is. A worthy, symmetrical response over a long distance. They will know that every place in the Russian Federation that poses a threat to the life of our state and our people will sooner or later receive a Ukrainian response, declared the President, referring to the Ukrainian military operation in the Kursk region of Russia.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine surprises the world once again, and Russia is once again resorting to actions and rhetoric known from the past. The President noted that this is the picture that emerges from the global media coverage of the situation in the Kursk region.

We see there how Russia treats its citizens, whom it calls "the population". How Russia "does not abandon its own". How their soldiers loot shops. This is what Putin's Russia looks like in the eyes of the world, he emphasized.

Zelensky highlighted the necessity of achieving independence for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. There is economic and energy independence, but there is also the spiritual independence of the Ukrainian nation. He declared that Ukrainian Orthodoxy is taking a step towards liberation from Moscow's demons today.

The President thanked all the people who help the Ukrainian army and state, as well as everyone who works daily for independence. He declared that he is grateful to Ukraine and Ukrainians for 913 days of war and "proving that independence is everyone's concern and has many dimensions".

On Friday, on the eve of Independence Day, Zelensky had a phone conversation with US President Joe Biden.

- On behalf of the Ukrainian people, I express my gratitude to you personally, your administration, Congress, and the entire American people for the support the United States has provided to our country since the first days of the war. Zelensky, addressing the US leader, this support helps us survive and preserve our statehood.