Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated his compatriots on Independence Day on Sunday, exactly three and a half years after the war began. "We are building a Ukraine strong and powerful enough to live in security and peace,

President Donald Trump has sent a letter of support to Ukraine praising its courage and saying the United States believes in its future as an independent state, as the country marks the anniversary of declaring itself free of Soviet rule.

Russia meanwhile said power and energy facilities had been targeted overnight by Ukraine, which has not commented.