Zelensky: Putin cannot dictate red lines to Ukraine

Ukraine would not allow its territory to be turned into a buffer zone, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the country's Independence Day in clear reference to the Russian invasion.

Ukrainian's would repay the aggressor with interest, he said, warning that those seeking a Ukrainian buffer zone should take care that their own country did not become a "buffer federation." Ukrainian forces have seized a large chunk of the Russian federation in the Kursk region.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, Zelensky's address was recorded in the region around Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine, from where the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region was launched.

Avoiding mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin by name, Zelensky said: "The sick old man of Red Square, who is constantly threatening with his red button, will not dictate red lines to us."

Moscow has justified its invasion of Ukraine by saying that it cannot accept possible Ukrainian membership of NATO, as this would jeopardize Russian national security.