European leaders back Ukraine in Kyiv as war enters fourth year

European leaders joined Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv as Ukraine marked Independence Day under Russian attack. Their visit underscored Kyiv's reliance on allied military aid as the drone war intensifies.Image used for representational purposes onlyEuropean leaders joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday as Ukraine marked the 35th anniversary of its Independence Day, with Russia continuing its invasion, now in its fourth year. The anniversary came at a time when there have been no significant changes on the front line for months and no visible progress after more than a year of US-led peace efforts.As the war grinds on, both sides remain locked in escalating aerial attacks that are killing civilians and damaging infrastructure. The day in Kyiv combined political support from European allies, fresh pledges of military and financial help, and a public display of Ukrainian-made weapons, even as Russia and Ukraine reported new strikes overnight.One of President Vladimir Putin's key aims when Russia launched the war in February 2022 was to bring Kyiv back into Moscow's orbit. On August 24, 1991, Ukrainian lawmakers voted to declare independence from Moscow, and a nationwide referendum later that year overwhelmingly backed the move.Among those in Kyiv was UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, making his first overseas trip since taking office last month. He joined almost a dozen European leaders and other dignitaries, including European Council President Antonio Costa. Burnham was due to co-chair a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries supporting Ukraine against Russia's assault, with the leaders of France and Germany expected to join online. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media, "For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds. In times like these, nations learn how important it is to have allies by your side."Speaking at Kyiv's St. Sophia Square, Zelenskyy said the turnout of European leaders showed wider concern about Russia's ambitions. "We all understand that in this Russian war against us - against Ukraine - far more is being decided than the future of Ukraine and Eastern Europe," he said. Stressing the need for outside support, he added, "No nation in a war like this could rely solely on its own weapons. No nation could withstand attacks of such intensity without the world's help." The visiting leaders brought promises of further support. Burnham was expected to announce that his government had agreed to allow defence company MBDA to release classified information on British components used in the SCALP long-range missile. According to his office, that would clear the way for France and Ukraine to move ahead with plans to produce the weapon in Ukraine. SCALP is the French version of the UK's Storm Shadow missile, and both systems use shared French and British technology.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow viewed the plan "extremely negatively" and accused the UK of "taking part in this war" on Kyiv's side. Ukraine has relied heavily on NATO countries for help in fighting Russia's larger army, although its ties with the United States have been cooler under President Donald Trump. Russia, meanwhile, has been receiving help from North Korea and China.Ukraine also used the occasion to showcase its drone capabilities. Speeches at St. Sophia Square were accompanied by a street parade of domestically produced weapons. Ukraine's fast development of drone technology has helped it slow Russia's battlefield advances and strike targets deep inside Russia, up to 2,000 km from the border.Both countries are using long-range strikes to cause economic damage, disrupt military supplies and weaken public morale. Ukrainian long-range drones have repeatedly hit facilities in Russia's oil industry, leading to fuel shortages, and have also been used in a campaign against Russia's biggest online retailer, Wildberries.At the same time, Ukraine's foreign suppliers are balancing Kyiv's needs against their own stockpiles and production limits. As the air war has intensified, Ukraine's stocks of US-made Patriot interceptors for defending against Russian ballistic missiles have fallen very low. Kyiv needs more interceptors urgently before winter, when Russia usually attacks its power grid, but the demands of the Iran war and slow production have left Ukraine short.In Russia, children's rights ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova said three teenagers were killed and six children were wounded in the southern city of Krasnodar. Officials and Ozon said Ukraine attacked several warehouses of the online retailer for a third straight day. The company said a large fire broke out at an Ozon logistics facility in the Krasnodar suburbs after the overnight strike. A drone also hit the grounds of an Ozon logistics centre in the southern region of Adygeya, regional Governor Murat Kumpilov said, although the company said its Adygeya warehouse was not damaged. In all, four Ozon premises appeared to have been targeted.Ukraine's General Staff said its forces also struck the Russian state-owned Kamenetsky Combine defence company in the Rostov region overnight, causing a fire. It said the plant makes fuel for rockets and missiles. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted and destroyed 351 Ukrainian drones overnight over eight Russian regions, Crimea, and the Azov and Black seas. The ministry also said Russian forces continued overnight strikes on Ukrainian ports and vessels delivering cargo for the armed forces.Russia has also increasingly targeted civilian sites in Ukraine in recent months, including shopping malls, supermarkets and petrol stations. Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone strike on a shopping centre in central Ukraine on Friday killed 16 people and injured 130. On Monday, authorities in the southern Odesa region reported a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack targeting food storage facilities and energy infrastructure. Ukraine's Emergency Service said 15 people, including two children, were injured in a Russian drone strike on Chernihiv in the north.It was not possible to independently verify the claims made by either side. The day in Kyiv underlined both Ukraine's effort to mark its independence with backing from European allies and the continued reality of a war defined by military support, drone warfare and repeated strikes on both sides.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 24, 2026 18:20 IST