Putin did not congratulate Poroshenko and Zelensky on Victory Day
When congratulating the leaders of countries that used to be part of the USSR with the 74th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not acknowledge the current President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, or the new head of state. One can attest to this fact on the Kremlin website.
Congratulations were received by the leaders and citizens of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia as well as the peoples of Georgia and Ukraine. But not the leaders of the last country.
“We honor the heroes who courageously fought against the invaders on the battlefield and worked selflessly behind front lines. Our common duty is to cherish the memory of their efforts,” said the head of the aggressor country.
He thanked everyone involved in the victory against Nazism, wishing them health and well-being.
As Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, explained, Zelensky was not congratulated because he had not officially assumed his role.
“As you know Putin did not congratulate Poroshenko in previous years either,” he added.
Peskov did not explain the reason why Putin has not congratulated the head of the neighboring state for many years.
On May 8, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, the Kremlin published Putin’s address to the Ukrainian people.