Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will not cede territories to Russia as he marked National Flag Day.
Mr Zelensky said the flag was a "goal and dream for many Ukrainians on temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine".
"They keep the flag. They keep it because they know that we will not gift our land to an occupier," he said.
He added: "This flag symbolises the dearest thing for hundreds of our warriors - men and women - from all over Ukraine who defend not just a specific direction of the front line, not just Vovchansk or Dobropillia, but entire Ukraine".
The ceremony was held on the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day and attended by the country's top officials.
Mr Zelensky said yesterday that Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting between him and Vladimir Putin, while Russia's foreign minister said the agenda for such a meeting was not ready.
Mr Zelensky has repeatedly called for Mr Putin to meet him, saying it is the only way to negotiate an end to the war.
US President Donald Trump yesterday renewed a threat to impose sanctions on Russia if there is no progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine in two weeks, showing frustration at Moscow a week after his meeting with Mr Putin in Alaska.
Mr Trump told reporters he would make an "important" decision in two weeks on Ukraine peace efforts, specifying that Moscow could face massive sanctions - or he might "do nothing".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "no meeting" was planned as Mr Trump's mediation efforts appeared to stall, while Mr Zelensky said Russia was trying to prolong the offensive.
This morning Russia said its forces in east Ukraine had taken two villages in the Donetsk region, upping military pressure on the ground as world leaders struggle to broker an end to the conflict.
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Russian forces are slowly advancing in the embattled eastern region, grinding closer to Kyiv's key defensive line in costly metre-for-metre battles.
Moscow's defence ministry said on Telegram that Russian forces captured the villages of Sredneye and Kleban-Byk.
The taking of Kleban-Byk would mark a further advance towards Kostiantynivka - a key fortified town on the road to Kramatorsk, where a major Ukrainian logistics base is located.
Russia yesterday said its troops had captured three villages in the Donetsk region it claimed to have annexed in September 2022.
Accreditation: Reuters
