24 August 2025

34th Anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence

Today, a solemn ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence took place at Sofiyska Square in Kyiv. The event was attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Trump’s Special Representative General Keith Kellogg, the Ministers of Defense of Sweden, Denmark, Romania, Lithuania, and Latvia, as well as the UK Minister of State.

In his speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainians have repeatedly proven their national right to their own state and will continue to fight for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The Ukrainian people have gone through one of the most difficult paths in Europe, yet preserved their country.

Mark Carney stressed that Canada will always stand with Ukraine. The Prime Minister of Canada noted that we are now experiencing decisive moments in this struggle, so the support of the international community must be strengthened. Concluding his speech, Mark Carney stressed that Canada demands Russia be held accountable for its aggression against Ukraine and cynical violation of human rights through the imposition of tough sanctions by the international community.

Back in 1991, Canada became the first Western country to recognize Ukraine as independent and sovereign.  In 2014, following Russia’s invasion of Crimea, Canada launched Operation UNIFIER and deployed hundreds of military personnel to train the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since then, the operation has trained over 45,000 Ukrainian military personnel.

After the speeches, the official ceremony of presenting Ukraine’s state awards, battle flags, ribbons of courage and bravery, and honorary titles took place. Among the awardees was Ukrainian singer of Crimean Tatar origin Jamala, who received the Order of Princess Olga, 3rd Class.