Defiant Zelenskiy, on Independence Day, says Ukraine will never give up its freedom

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a news conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 23, 2022.REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukrainians in an emotional speech marking 31 years of independence on Wednesday that their country had been "reborn" when Russia invaded and that it would never give up its fight for freedom from Moscow's domination.

In a recorded speech aired on the six-month anniversary of Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, Zelenskiy said Ukraine no longer saw the war ending when the fighting stopped but when Kyiv finally emerged victorious.