زيلينسكي: الضمانات الأمنية ستكون جاهزة خلال أيام

As the battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces continue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that "the future of the country will only be determined by Ukrainians."

He stated in a speech during Independence Day celebrations in the capital, Kyiv, today (Sunday), "We will decide the future of Ukraine ourselves."

He questioned, "How many times have we proposed a ceasefire? How many times have we said that we seek peace, but we want a dignified and comprehensive peace, and that is why we rely on the support of the whole world."

He emphasized that his country will not be forced again to endure the shame that the Russians call a settlement. He said: "We need a just peace." He revealed that the security guarantees promised by European countries and Washington to Kyiv will be ready in a few days.

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov launched an attack on those he described as "obstructionists," accusing Western countries of trying to disrupt peace negotiations with Ukraine.

He considered that Zelensky is being stubborn and setting conditions for meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he put it.

Lavrov said in a statement today: "They are simply looking for an excuse to disrupt the negotiations, and they want this to happen not because of their fault, or Zelensky's fault, who is also being obstinate and setting some conditions, demanding an immediate meeting with Putin, regardless of the circumstances."

He expressed hope that attempts to obstruct the settlement process established by Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump would be thwarted.

Trump held a summit in Alaska last week with Putin and expressed hope that the Russian and Ukrainian presidents would meet soon to put an end to the ongoing war between the two countries since 2022; however, he expressed his frustration in recent days as hopes for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents have diminished.