{
  "id": 2988077,
  "title": "Ukraine wants peace but won’t give in, says Zelensky on Independence Day",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ukraine-wants-peace-but-wont-give-in-says-zelensky-on-independence-day",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T09:18:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/24/ukraine-wants-peace-but-won-t-give-in-says-zelensky-on-independence-day"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine addressed the nation on Monday, Independence Day, cautioning against Russia's belief that surrendering the Donbas region would end the war. Dressed in a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, Zelensky stood in front of the St Michael's monastery in Kyiv, where burned-out Russian tanks are displayed. He stressed that Ukraine seeks peace, but is unwilling to simply yield any part of its territory to Russia. Zelensky rejected Russia's repeated demand that Ukraine cede the eastern Donbas area, stating that such a concession would not bring an end to the hostilities. Over 350,000 lives have been lost and vast swathes of Ukrainian land have been destroyed since Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. Despite the ongoing conflict and Russia's advances, Zelensky called upon allies to provide Ukraine with everything necessary to stop the war and urged them to pressure Russia for negotiations and impose more sanctions. He hoped that the United States' concerns about Russia would dissipate and called on China to cease its silence. Other notable attendees included British Prime Minister Andrew Burnham and European Council President Antonio Costa, who arrived in Kyiv for the festivities.",
  "summary": "The Ukrainian president said Russia's demand for Kyiv to surrender the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in the Donbas would not end Russian aggression.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Ukraine wants peace but won't give in, Zelenskyy says on Independence Day",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ukraine-wants-peace-but-wont-give-in-zelenskyy-says-on-independence",
        "published": "2026-08-24T08:52:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Ukraine wants peace but won't give in, Zelenskyy says on Independence Day",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ukraine-wants-peace-but-wont-give-in-zelenskyy-says-on-independence-2984583",
        "published": "2026-08-24T08:55:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "European leaders rally in Kyiv to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/european-leaders-rally-in-kyiv-to-celebrate-ukraines-independence-day",
        "published": "2026-08-24T09:12:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Ukraine wants peace but won’t give in, says Zelensky on Independence Day",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ukraine-wants-peace-but-wont-give-in-says-zelensky-on-independence-day-2989180",
        "published": "2026-08-24T09:18:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Lukashenko sends Ukraine Independence Day wishes despite war-complicity accusations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/lukashenko-sends-ukraine-independence-day-wishes-despite-war",
        "published": "2026-08-24T10:16:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Ukraine wants peace but won’t ‘simply surrender’, Zelensky says on Independence Day",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ukraine-wants-peace-but-wont-simply-surrender-zelensky-says-on",
        "published": "2026-08-24T11:50:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}