U.S. President Donald Trump was among a number of global leaders who expressed support for Ukraine on Sunday as the country marked its 34th Independence Day, which marks the anniversary of declaring itself free of Soviet rule.
“Now is the moment to bring an end to the senseless killing. The United States supports a negotiated settlement that leads to a durable, lasting peace that ends the bloodshed and safeguards Ukraine’s sovereignty and dignity,” Trump said in the letter.
Other leaders also marked the day. Britain’s King Charles and Pope Leo XIV sent messages of encouragement, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made his first official visit to Ukraine, promising his country’s “unwavering” support. Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration’s envoy on Russia-Ukraine issues, also attended the Independence Day ceremony in Kyiv.
On the eve of Independence Day, Russia launched 72 drones and a ballistic missile toward Ukraine, the majority of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Hitting a Nuclear Plant
Russia accused Ukraine on Sunday of launching drone attacks that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant in its western Kursk region overnight.
The nuclear power plant, just 38 miles from the border with Ukraine, said that air defences shot down a drone that detonated near the plant just after midnight, damaging an auxiliary transformer and forcing a 50 percent reduction in the operating capacity at reactor No. 3.
The fire at the nuclear facility was quickly extinguished with no injuries reported, according to the plant’s press service on Telegram. While the attack damaged a transformer, radiation levels remained within normal ranges.
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said it was aware of media reports that a transformer at the plants had caught fire “due to military activity,” but hadn’t received independent confirmation.
Unverified footage on Russian Telegram channels showed a drone flying directly into a fuel terminal, followed by a huge ball of fire rising high into the sky, followed by a plume of black smoke billowing into the horizon.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
