Zelensky’s statement follows a recent report by the Wall Street Journal saying that the U.S. has quietly implemented a review process giving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authority to bar Ukrainian long-range strikes inside Russia with American missiles, effectively blocking strikes for months.

An unnamed official told WSJ that the unannounced high-level Defense Department approval process has prevented the use of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) against targets inside Russia since late spring.

At a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Aug. 24, Zelensky said no such restrictions were being discussed, noting that Ukraine strikes targets inside Russia using domestically produced weapons.

“At the moment, we are using our long-range domestically produced weapons, and we haven’t been discussing such matters with the U.S. lately. There was a time when there were different signals regarding our retaliatory strikes after their (Russian) attacks on our energy system,” Zelensky said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 21 said that Ukraine had “no chance of winning” if not permitted to attack Russia and criticized former U.S. President Joe Biden for not letting Kyiv “fight back, only defend.”

Despite this, Trump has previously stated he disagreed “very vehemently” with the previous White House administration’s decision to permit Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russia with U.S. weapons.

Zelensky had announced that Ukraine plans to begin mass production of its domestically developed long-range Flamingo cruise missile this winter.

Having its own long-range missile capabilities could be a game-changer for Ukraine in its efforts to undermine Russia’s war machine deep behind enemy lines.

Zelensky said that Flamingo had undergone successful tests, describing it as “the most successful” missile Ukraine currently has. The Flamingo missile is capable of flying up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), he claimed.

“By December, we’ll have more of them. And by the end of December or in January–February, mass production should begin,” the president added.

The bloc’s Military Committee Chairman Giuseppe Cavo Dragone stated that NATO has already provided more than $33 billion since January and plans to raise the total to $50 billion by the end of the year.

Asked about the alliance’s stance as Washington and Moscow pursue peace efforts, Dragone said NATO would “continue military assistance and even increase it,” accusing Russia of “stalling” dialogue.

He also expressed hope that Western sanctions, which he described as aimed at “increasing internal tensions” against Russian President Vladimir Putin, would be tightened.

At the same time, Dragone dismissed speculation that NATO could deploy troops to Ukraine, an idea floated by members such as France and the UK.

He stressed that “we have not spoken about this at all in NATO, we have not even mentioned it,” adding that such proposals were “at least premature” and remained “in their infancy.”

His remarks come after a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which was followed within days by talks between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as other European leaders at the White House.

Trump hailed the meetings as productive, and the White House announced that there was “light at the end of the tunnel.” Moscow has indicated it is open to negotiations and has welcomed Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict by addressing its root causes.

Russia has repeatedly condemned NATO arms deliveries, arguing they only prolong the conflict. Officials in Moscow have questioned whether Kiev and its European backers are genuinely committed to peace, pointing out that Zelensky has rejected most of Trump’s proposals and continues to insist on reclaiming Crimea and other former Ukrainian territories.

Moscow has also criticized European NATO members for trying to sideline Russia in the negotiations while focusing instead on security guarantees for Kiev, which Russia has branded an illegitimate and “openly neo-Nazi” regime.

Russian officials announced several power and energy facilities were targeted in the overnight strikes. The fire at the nuclear facility was quickly extinguished with no injuries reported, according to the plant’s press service on Telegram. While the attack damaged a transformer, radiation levels remained within normal ranges.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said it was aware of media reports that a transformer at the plants had caught fire “due to military activity,” but hadn’t received independent confirmation. It added its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.”

Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack.

Firefighters also responded to a blaze at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s Leningrad region, home to a major fuel export terminal. The regional governor stated approximately 10 Ukrainian drones were shot down, with debris igniting the fire.

The incidents occurred as Ukraine marked independence day, commemorating its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered remarks in a video address from Kyiv’s Independence Square, emphasising the nation’s resolve.

“We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace,” Zelensky said, calling for a “just peace.”

“What our future will be is up to us alone,” he stated, in a nod to the US–Russia summit in Alaska earlier in August, which many feared would leave Ukrainian and European interests side-lined.

“And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal,” he added.

In a speech marking Ukraine’s Independence Day on Sunday, Zelensky vowed to retake the peninsula, which is predominantly populated by ethnic Russians and overwhelmingly voted to join Russia after the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev. He also pledged to reclaim the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which, along with Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, joined Russia in 2022 after referendums.

“Here at the zero kilometer, this is a starting point where distances to Ukrainian cities are marked – to our Donetsk, our Lugansk, our Crimea,” Zelensky said in an address filmed at Kiev’s Maidan Square, the site of the Western-backed 2014 coup.

“All of this is Ukraine… and no temporary occupation can change that. One day… we will be together again as one country. It’s only a matter of time,” he added.

While mediating peace efforts between Moscow and Kiev, US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of “land swaps,” but firmly stated that Kiev will not regain Crimea, calling that scenario “impossible.”

Land issues were reportedly on the agenda at talks between Trump, Zelensky, and Kiev’s EU backers earlier this week, but Zelensky reportedly rejected proposals to cede territory. He confirmed this in his speech on Sunday, declaring: “Ukraine will never again in history be forced to bear the shame that the Russians call ‘a compromise’.”

Trump has called for a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelensky, stating it could accelerate the peace process, but warned that the Ukrainian leader must “show flexibility,” including on territorial claims. He congratulated Ukraine on its national holiday in a post on X, while again urging Kiev to negotiate a settlement with Moscow to “stop the senseless killing.”

Putin has not ruled out meeting with Zelensky, despite questioning the Ukrainian leader’s legitimacy due to the expiration of his term, but insists that this can only happen after tangible progress in negotiations.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that Putin could meet Zelensky “when the agenda is ready for a summit,” but added that “as things stand, no meeting is planned.” Moscow has consistently maintained it will only accept a peace deal that includes Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as Russian.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been championing a bilateral meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents — but both sides have blamed each other for not wanting the talks to come through.

“They’re just looking for a pretext to block negotiations,” Lavrov said in an interview with state TV station Rossiya aired Sunday on Telegram.

He slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for “obstinately insisting, setting conditions, demanding an immediate meeting at all costs” with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov also accused Ukrainian authorities of “attempts to disrupt the process that was laid down by Presidents Putin and Trump, which has yielded very good results.”

“We hope that these attempts will be thwarted,” he added.

On Friday, Lavrov stated “no meeting” between Zelensky and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was planned.

Earlier this week, Zelensky for his part said Russia was “trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting.”

Zelensky has signaled willingness to meet with Putin, but only after his allies agree on security guarantees for Ukraine to deter future Russian attacks once the fighting stops.

Moscow announced that there could be no discussion about such guarantees without it, and said any presence of European troops in Ukraine would be “absolutely unacceptable.”