Zelenskyy Responds to US Secretary of State Rubio's "Russia Day" Announcement

At a June 13 media briefing, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the United States’ decision to publicly congratulate Russia on its Independence Day “an unpleasant fact.”

“In any case, the United States’ greeting of Russia on Russia Day is, for me, an unpleasant fact. I will not hide it. After all, this is Russia’s Independence Day,” Zelenskyy said.

“They want to take away our independence. This war is specifically about Ukraine’s independence—Russia’s war against Ukraine. Of course, I cannot view it positively when people want to strip Ukraine of its independence, and our partner country—the United States—greets them on such a day,” he added.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has strongly condemned public greetings extended to Russia by certain foreign governments on the occasion of Russia Day in a statement published on June 12.