Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shared an “inspirational” letter sent to him from King Charles on Ukraine’s Independence Day. Elsewhere, a downed drone in Russia’s Kursk region sparked a fire at a nuclear plant overnight. Follow the latest.
Sunday 24 August 2025 13:12, UK
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Russia and Ukraine have carried out another round of prisoner swaps, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
It says both countries have exchanged 146 prisoners each after mediation by the United Arab Emirates.
The ministry said all of the freed Russians were in Belarus receiving psychological and medical assistance.
Ukraine also returned to Moscow eight Russian citizens, residents of the Kursk region, the ministry said.
Canada has announced funding for a new package of US military equipment for Ukraine, NATO boss Mark Rutte has revealed.
Posting on social media, he said he was grateful to Canada for the announcement, which will provide Ukraine with “essential equipment and supplies”.
The delivery is expected to be part of a package previously pledged by Canada in June during the G7 summit in Alberta.
Canadian PM Mark Carney is in Kyiv today to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The pair took part in a special ceremony marking Ukraine’s Independence Day this morning.
The Pentagon has been quietly blocking Ukraine from using US-made long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.
According to the officials, the move was intended to reduce the risk of escalation and allow the White House to hold diplomatic talks with the Kremlin.
The report says that, in at least one case, Ukraine requested permission to use ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 190 miles against a target in Russia but was denied.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it’s “only a matter of time” before Ukraine can reunite its occupied lands with the rest of the country.
In an address marking the country’s 34th Independence Day, Zelenskyy said the Independence Monument in Kyiv – where the distances to occupied Ukrainian cities like Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea are inscribed – acts as a symbol of the country’s resilience.
“Today, these markers have a completely different meaning. They are no longer just about kilometres,” he said.
“They remind us that all of this is Ukraine. And there are our people, and no distance between us can change that, and no temporary occupation can change that.
“One day, the distance between Ukrainians will disappear, and we will be together again as one family, as one country. It is only a matter of time.”
For context: Russia occupies around 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea and a major chunk of land in the country’s east.
Russia says Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – which were recognised by Moscow as part of Ukraine as the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 – are now parts of Russia.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it will never recognise Russian occupation of its land, and most countries recognise Ukraine’s territory within its 1991 borders.
Vladimir Putin has praised his “constructive and frank discussion” with Donald Trump in Alaska last week, saying he can “see a glimmer at the end of the tunnel”.
“I really hope that the first steps made are just the beginning of a full-scale recovery of Russia-US relations,” he said during a visit to Russia’s federal nuclear centre.
But Putin added that such a recovery would not solely be down to Moscow and Washington to achieve, noting that the US “is also bound by certain obligations within various associations, including (NATO)”.
“This why the next steps depend on the US leadership. I am certain that President Trump’s leadership skills are a good prerequisite for a potential recovery.”
Putin made no reference to Ukraine during his comments on what was discussed with Trump in Alaska.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog has said it’s aware of reports of a fire at the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia “due to military activity”, but says it’s not received independent confirmation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times”.
Ukraine is yet to comment on accusations from Russian officials of a drone attack on the plant. For more information, read our 7.57am post.
More world leaders and foreign diplomats have shared messages of support with Ukraine on its Independence Day.
Most messages made reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the hopes that the conflict will soon be over.
Here’s a round-up of some of the posts:
Ukrainians have gathered in Kyiv this morning to mark the country’s Independence Day.
Relatives of missing soldiers can be seen holding flags and signs while attending a rally in the capital.
In an address marking Independence Day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it’s only a matter of time before Ukraine will be “together again as one family” and “no temporary occupation can change that”.
The acting governor of Russia’s Kursk region says strikes on nuclear power plants “cross all boundaries of international conventions”.
It comes following reports that a Ukrainian drone shot down over the Kursk nuclear power plant sparked a fire and a capacity reduction (see 7.57am post).
“Strikes on nuclear power plants are not just war crimes. They are a threat to nuclear safety, crossing all boundaries of international conventions,” Alexander Khinshtein said.
He added: “All those guilty of these crimes will have to be justly punished.”
Not all the reaction to Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day has been positive.
The Russian embassy in Italy has shared a video on social media captioned: “Ukraine’s Independence Day: there’s nothing to celebrate”.
The video questions whether Ukraine still has its sovereignty as it’s “being sold off to Western countries and multinationals”
It also says Ukraine is not a neutral nation, as it has been “moving toward joining NATO and the European Union”.
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