Ukraine leader stresses NATO, EU ties on independence day

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president has urged closer ties between the ex-Soviet nation and NATO and the European Union in a speech marking the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Ukraine celebrated its independence day on Tuesday with a military parade in the capital Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a strong Ukraine is a country that “becomes NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities Partner” and is “supported by others when it applies to join the European Union.” Ukraine declared its sovereignty immediately after the failed hard-line coup against reformist Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991. The anniversary comes amid heightened tensions between Ukraine and Russia.