Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent greetings to Americans July 4, on the 250th anniversary of the founding of the nation. The text of his message, in full:
This momentous anniversary—the 250th anniversary of United States independence—is being celebrated at a highly consequential juncture for the world order. Despite the strenuous resistance of Western countries, a more just and balanced multipolar model of international development is asserting itself to replace the era of their global hegemony.
Over the past two and a half centuries, the United States has traversed a path at an accelerated pace that has taken other nations many hundreds of years. This path has been marked by both profound creative impetus and expansion, as well as domestic upheavals. “At critical moments in United States history—during the struggle for independence from the British Crown and throughout the course of the Civil War—Russia consistently rendered support for the establishment and preservation of American statehood. The alliance between our nations during the Second World War continues to serve as a testament to our shared resolve to oppose any manifestations of fascism, Nazism, and the ideology of national exceptionalism. Russia remains steadfast in its commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter, which our country, together with the United States and other victorious powers, placed at the foundation of the post-war system of international relations—a system that, to this day, stands as a legal and moral touchstone for humanity.
