The United Kingdom is planning ceremonies to mark Ukraine’s 35th anniversary of independence on August 24, 2026.
The British country and local diaspora communities will host commemorative events, musical performances, and solidarity gatherings, such as National Flag Day displays in London and community choir tributes to highlight the UK’s solidarity.
New UK PM, Andy Burnham will lead ministers in paying tribute to war-torn Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
Parts of Westminster and Whitehall will be lit up in the blue and yellow of the nation’s flag.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, who will attend a candle-lit event at the Ukrainian Cathedral of the Holy Family in London on Monday, said on Sunday night: ‘Thirty-five years ago, Ukraine chose independence. Over more than a decade, Putin’s illegal war has tried and failed to destroy Ukraine’s freedom. We stand proudly with Ukraine.’
Elsewhere, the PM will lead a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing group of pro-Ukrainian countries, with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Ukraine voted for independence in 1991 after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Supporters and members of the Ukrainian community gathered in London displaying national flags to observe Ukraine’s National Flag Day ahead of the main anniversary.
