
Flag Day finds Ukraine still at war with the Russian aggressor, who is trying not to give up the occupied territories in peace talks. But the message of the Ukrainian president in marking this national day was that they will not give the land to the occupiers.
"This flag is a goal and dream for many Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. They carry the flag. They keep it because they know that we will not give our land to an invader. This flag symbolizes the thing most dear to hundreds of our fighters – men and women – from all over Ukraine who defend not only a specific direction of the front line, but all of Ukraine," said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The National Flag Day ceremony was held on the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day and was attended by the country's top officials.
US President Donald Trump repeated the threat to impose sanctions on Russia on Friday if there is no progress towards a peaceful solution in Ukraine within two weeks, showing disappointment with Moscow a week after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting between him and Putin, while the Russian foreign minister said the agenda for such a meeting was not ready.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for Putin to meet with him, saying that this is the only way to negotiate the end of the war.