Kyiv, Ukraine - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his address to the nation on the 35th anniversary of the country's independence to issue a direct challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying Moscow must be forced to its knees through the unity of the international community. 

As European leaders gathered in Kyiv to mark the anniversary, Zelensky praised the Ukrainian people's "resilience" over more than 1,640 days of full-scale war in a 20-minute video posted on social media.

"In all his plans for Ukraine, Putin got the most important thing wrong," Zelensky said, stating that Russia has underestimated the Ukrainian people.

"The enemy counted our resources, our stockpiles, our equipment, but failed to take into account what was key: people, the greatest achievement of Ukraine's independence. The people who make up our state. People who take responsibility. People who do not want Russia here and who fight tooth and nail for peace and independence."

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Putin wanted to make Russia great, Zelensky said, but today there are long queues at petrol stations in the country while his soldiers are being turned into "fertilizer" on the battlefield by Kyiv's army.

The Ukrainian president highlighted the country's achievements in the fifth year of the war, which was launched in February 2022. 

"Ukraine has already solved problems that initially seemed impossible to overcome," he explained, listing the country's defense against Iranian-made Shahed drones.  

"Our defense industry today is truly a giant, forging independence 24/7," he continued, highlighting robotic vehicles, naval drones, mid-range strikes on Russian logistics, and long-range assaults on the enemy's oil refineries.

Zelensky acknowledged that the situation was "really, very difficult for all of us," but he again rejected Russia's demand for Ukraine to cede the Donetsk region. 

Nobody believes that doing so would end the war, Zelensky said, adding, "We do not trust them." 

Ukraine has become a different country and will give nothing away. The country is "not a victim, but a fighter," he said.

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Zelensky directed a particular appeal to the leadership in Beijing: "China should no longer remain silent."

"China must prove its ambition to be one of the world's leaders, not only economically and technologically, but as a civilization, making it clear that no dictators have the right to threaten the planet with their old warheads."

Zelensky also praised the US under President Donald Trump, saying he was "glad" the country has shed its illusions about Russia and understands that Putin does not want to end the war."

"The Russians must be brought to the negotiating table. There finally must be sanctions that will make them howl."