kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — European leaders joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in kyiv on Monday for celebrations of the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Day as Russia continued its four-year invasion of the country. One of President Vladimir Putin’s key goals in launching a war with Russia’s neighbor in February 2022 was to place kyiv in Moscow’s orbit. Ukrainian lawmakers voted on August 24, 1991, to proclaim the country’s independence from Moscow, and a national referendum that same year approved it by an overwhelming majority. With no significant change on the front line for months and no apparent progress after more than a year of US-led peace efforts, both countries are trapped in a spiral of escalating airstrikes that are killing civilians and destroying infrastructure. EU leaders demonstrate over Ukraine. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, on his first trip abroad since taking office last month, joined nearly a dozen other European leaders as well as other dignitaries, including European Council President Antonio Costa, in kyiv on Monday. “For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media. “In times like these, nations learn how important it is to have allies on their side.” Burnham would co-chair a meeting of what has been called the Coalition of the Willing – a group of countries helping Ukraine resist Russia’s attack – and the leaders of France and Germany are expected to join online. Zelenskyy said in a speech in kyiv’s Hagia Sophia Square that the presence of European leaders reflected continental fears about Russia’s broader ambitions. “We all understand that in this Russian war against us – against Ukraine – much more than the future of Ukraine and Eastern Europe is being decided,” Zelenskyy said, adding that foreign help was vital. “No nation in a war like this could depend solely on its own weapons,” he said. “No nation could withstand attacks of such intensity without the world’s help.” Ukraine considers local production of French and British missiles. The visiting leaders brought promises of greater military and financial support. Burnham is expected to announce that her government has agreed to allow defense company MBDA to release classified information related to British components used in the long-range SCALP missile, according to her office. That would pave the way for France and Ukraine to move forward with their plans to produce the weapon in Ukraine. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. SCALP is the French version of the UK’s Storm Shadow missile, and both systems incorporate shared French and British technology. “Ukraine has been Europe’s protector, not a burden on our security, but the front line in keeping Europe safe,” Burnham said in a speech, adding that kyiv and its partners “must keep up the pressure on Moscow.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin views the plan “extremely negative.” He accused the United Kingdom of “participating in this war” on kyiv’s side. Ukraine has relied heavily on NATO countries to help it fight Russia’s larger military, although relations with the United States have been cooler under President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Russia is receiving help from North Korea and China. Ukraine shows off its drones at a parade in kyiv Ukraine’s rapid development of innovative drone technology has allowed it to slow Russia’s progress on the battlefield, as well as hit targets deep inside Russia, up to 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from its border. The speeches in Hagia Sophia were accompanied by a street parade of domestically produced weapons. Both Russia and Ukraine are attempting through far-reaching attacks to inflict economic pain, disrupt military supplies, and erode public morale. Ukraine’s long-range drones have repeatedly attacked facilities in Russia’s vital oil industry, causing fuel shortages, and have also been involved in a campaign against Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries. But foreign suppliers must also take into account their own needs, weapons production levels and the depth of As the air war has intensified, Ukraine’s stockpile of American-made Patriot interceptors to counter Russia’s ballistic missiles has been desperately depleted. kyiv urgently needs more interceptors before winter, when Russia routinely bombs its power grid, but the demands of war with Iran and the slow production of sophisticated interceptors have left Ukraine short and vulnerable. Ukrainian attacks kill 3 teenagers Three teenagers were killed and six children were injured in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, Russia’s children’s rights ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova said, as Ukraine attacked several warehouses of Ozon, another online retailer, for the third day in a row, according to officials and the company. The company said a large fire broke out at an Ozon logistics facility in suburban Krasnodar after the overnight attack. Ozon’s logistics center in the Adygeya region of southern Russia, regional governor Murat Kumpilov said, although the company said its Adygeya warehouse was not damaged. In total, four Ozon facilities appeared to have been attacked. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces attacked the Russian state defense company Kamenetsky Combine in the Rostov region overnight, causing a fire. The plant produces fuel for rockets and missiles, he said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 351 Ukrainian drones overnight in eight Russian regions, the Crimean Peninsula and the Azov and Black Seas. Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. The ministry also said its forces continued to attack Ukrainian ports and ships carrying cargo for the military at night. Russia has also focused its attention on Ukraine’s shopping malls, supermarkets and gas stations in recent months. Russian drones struck a shopping mall in central Ukraine in a daytime attack on Friday, killing 16 people and wounding 130, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s southern Odessa region was targeted by a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Monday, with food storage facilities and energy infrastructure among the targets, regional authorities said. Eighteen people, including two children, were injured in a Russian drone strike in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Emergency Service. reports.___Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
