Russia Selenskyj: Putin cannot dictate "red lines" to Ukraine

In his speech on the country's Independence Day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the people's desire for freedom. "We will not allow the ground to be turned into a gray zone where the blue and yellow flag (Ukraine's national flag) should rightfully fly," said Zelenskyi in his speech.

The Ukrainians would repay the aggressor for all the horrors - with percentages, Selensky warned. Those who want to turn Ukraine into a buffer zone must ensure that their country does not become a "buffer federation", he said, addressing Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin with regard to the counter-offensive in the Kursk region.

According to official information, the speech was recorded in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy. It was from there that the Ukrainian military launched their counter-offensive towards Kursk. Selensky did not mention the Russian president by name in his speech, instead he said: "The sick old man from Red Square, who constantly threatens with the red button, will not dictate any red lines to us". The Ukrainians would determine their own path, he emphasized.

One of the reasons given by Russia for its war was that Moscow could not accept Ukraine's possible accession to NATO. Putin argued that this would jeopardize Russia's national security.

Ukraine is celebrating the 33rd anniversary of its independence, which it gained in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Poland's President Andrzej Duda was among those who surprisingly traveled to Kiev to mark the holiday.