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Queen Elizabeth marked Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday, Aug. 24, with an “address” to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Her Majesty’s message was shared by the British Embassy Kyiv on social media.
“On their 31st anniversary of Independence, Her Majesty The Queen congratulates Ukrainians,” the embassy tweeted. “In her address to the President of Ukraine she said: ‘It gives me great pleasure to send Your Excellency and the people of Ukraine my warmest greetings on the celebration of your Independence Day.’”
The Queen’s message via the embassy continued, “In this most challenging year, I hope that today will be a time for the Ukrainian people, both in Ukraine and around the world, to celebrate their culture, history and identity. May we look to better times in the future.” The address was signed “Elizabeth R.”
According to CNN, President Zelenskyy gave an emotional address on Wednesday saying, “A new nation emerged on February 24 at 4 a.m. Not born, but reborn. A nation that didn’t cry, didn’t scream, didn’t get scared. Didn’t run away. Didn’t give up. Didn’t forget.” He added, “Every new day is a new reason not to give up. Because, having gone through so much, we have no right not to reach the end. What is the end of the war for us? We used to say: Peace. Now we say: Victory.”
Queen Elizabeth showed her support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion earlier this year. Back in March, it was revealed that the monarch had made a “generous donation” to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which is made up of 15 UK aid charities, thanked the Queen for her donation tweeting, “Many thanks to Her Majesty The Queen for continuing to support the Disasters Emergency Committee and for making a generous donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. @RoyalFamily #UkraineAppeal.”