Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their efforts in the war against Russia and said “ahead is our victory” in an event celebrating the country’s military. The Ukrainian president made the comments on Sunday while marking the Day of the Defenders, a national event honouring the country’s veterans and those killed in battle. In an address published by the Kyiv Post, he said: “Today we thank everyone who stood, stands and will stand strong. All those who were the first to take on a difficult battle. “Our border guards, our infantry, tank crewmen, pilots, sailors, artillerymen, anti-aircraft gunners, our paratroopers, special forces, intelligence, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Guard, police, territorial defence. “All those who defend the Ukrainian land, sea and sky. Whose protection we feel and whose courage we see every day.” He added: “Behind us is our history. Ahead is our victory. And a free country. Which we defended, defend and will defend.” It comes after prime minister Rishi Sunak rowed back on claims made by defence secretary Grant Shapps on Saturday that UK troops could carry out training in the country. Mr Shapps said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he wanted to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries. Hours after that interview was published, Mr Sunak said there were no immediate plans to send British troops to Ukraine. “What the defence secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine,” Sunak told reporters at the start of the governing Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester. “But that’s something for the long term, not the here and now. There are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict.” Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday said any British soldiers training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russian forces. In other developments, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has called on US lawmakers to reconsider their decision to omit financial support for Ukraine from a stop-gap budget bill Congress passed to halt a federal government shutdown. The legislation approved on Saturday to keep the federal government running until 17 November dropped provisions on providing additional aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of Republicans. Speaking in Kyiv after meeting with Mr Zelensky, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said European officials were surprised by the last-minute agreement in Washington and pledged the 27-nation bloc would carry on helping the invaded country defeat Russia. “I have hope that this will not be a definitive decision and Ukraine will continue having the support of the US,” Mr Borrell said. “We are facing an existential threat. Ukrainians are fighting with all their courage and capacities, and if we want them to be successful, then you have to provide them with better arms, and quicker,” the Spanish diplomat added. Ukrainian officials stressed that US backing for Ukraine would continue despite the stop-gap legislation. Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine‘s presidential office, said America’s relationship with Ukraine had not changed and that Ukrainian officials met regularly with representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties. “All of Ukraine’s key partners are determined to support our country until its victory in this war,” he wrote on Telegram. But the omission of additional Ukrainian aid from the package has raised concerns in Kyiv, which relies heavily on western financial aid and military equipment in its fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion. A little more than a week ago, lawmakers met in the Capitol with Mr Zelensky, who sought to assure them his military was winning the war but stressed that additional aid would be crucial for continuing the fight. Yet recent voting in the House has pointed to increased US isolationism and a growing resistance to providing further aid as the war, now in its 20th month, grinds on. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Mourners visit dead Wagner chief Prigozhin’s grave as Moscow threatens further annex PM insists no plan to send British troops for training in Ukraine ‘here and now’ Putin’s casualties near 250 in a day as Russian ammunition depots blown up in southern Ukraine The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

CAIRO The United Nations envoy to Sudan warned on Monday of the growing "ethnicisation" of the military conflict

Wyndham Clark held his nerve to card an even-par 70 on Sunday to win the 123rd US Open, capturing his first major title and denying four-time major winner Rory...

By Granth Vanaik and Ananya Mariam Rajesh Amazon.com hopes to tempt U.S. shoppers on Tuesday to open inflation-thinned

A swarm of drones hit Moscow on Tuesday in an unprecedented attack, while Russian drones struck Kyiv for a third straight day as Ukraine gears up for...

Jake Paul said, 'I think the Tommy rematch is going to happen at some point, I put him down on the canvas and lost a split decision'

China has agreed to curtail shipments of the chemicals used to make fentanyl, the drug at the heart of the U.S. overdose epidemic

A survivor tells the story of a five-week ordeal on the North Atlantic passage to Europe.

Russia has targeted Ukraine with drones in another massive attack as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Spain to rally support from Western allies at a summit of some 50 European leaders

Donald Trump has called for a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland in the clearest sign yet that an indictment could be on the horizon following the criminal investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents. In a letter, posted on Truth Social, Mr Trump’s attorneys claimed that he had been “treated unfairly” and was the victim of “ongoing injustice” by Special Counsel Jack Smith who is leading the probe into the trove of documents found at Mar-a-Lago after Mr Trump left office. It’s common for defence lawyers to seek meetings with the Justice Department when potential indictments are looming, but it’s unusual to seek a meeting with the AG himself. The letter was sent the same day that Mr Trump appeared in court by video for a second hearing in his criminal case on Tuesday. The former president was on screen in the Manhattan Criminal Court so that Judge Juan Merchan could make sure he understood the terms of the protective order in the case. Judge Merchan also set a trial date for 25 March 2024 – in the midst of the Republican primaries. Mr Trump appeared visibly annoyed by this, throwing his arms in the air. Read More Trump dubs DeSantis 2024 launch ‘DISASTER’ and crack bizarre joke about ‘red button’ and ‘friend’ Kim Jong-un Donald Trump Jr and George Santos ridicule disastrous DeSantis 2024 launch on Twitter Friends to foes: How Trump and DeSantis' relationship has deteriorated over the years

M&G Investments is buying the yen on a wager the Bank of Japan will end its cap on

A man walking on tidal mud flats with friends in an Alaska estuary got stuck up to his waist in the quicksand-like silt and drowned as the tide came in before frantic rescuers could extract him