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The United States Department of State published an official message this Friday congratulating the Russian people on the occasion of Russia's National Day, simultaneously reaffirming Washington's commitment to a negotiated resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
The statement was issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on behalf of the U.S. government: "On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the Russian people on Russia Day. The United States remains committed to advancing toward a peaceful solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine. We remain hopeful that lasting peace will pave the way for a more prosperous future for the Russian people and a more constructive relationship between our two countries."
The gesture carries considerable diplomatic weight: in 2025, Rubio had already sent a similar message, marking the first time since Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that a high-ranking U.S. official congratulated Russia on that holiday.
Before that message from 2025, the last one from the State Department for Russia Day had been in 2021, under then Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Kremlin received the 2025 message as "very positive news," interpreting it as evidence that the Trump administration was taking a different approach than Biden. This year’s statement reinforces that diplomatic signal for the second consecutive time.
However, the message arrives at a time of deep stagnation in the peace negotiations. On June 4th, Putin rejected a ceasefire in Ukraine during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, stating that "there is no need to cease military actions to start negotiations."
The next day, June 5, Putin also rejected Zelenski's proposal to hold direct negotiations in a neutral country and instructed the Russian army to continue its advance.
Russia conditions any agreement on the terms explored at the Anchorage Summit in August 2025 between Trump and Putin, which include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas, a condition that Ukraine views as an unacceptable red line.
On May 25th, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Rubio to convey a message from Putin to Trump, warning of potential attacks on Kyiv.
After that call, Rubio stated that the United States is "always prepared to play a constructive and helpful role in ending the war," although no specific timeline for negotiations was established.
Analysts describe the relationship between Washington and Moscow at this time as a "limited diplomatic thaw" marked by deep mutual mistrust, with Ukraine being the main obstacle to any lasting normalization.
The most likely short-term scenario, according to those same sources, is not a comprehensive peace agreement but rather a ceasefire or a frozen conflict, as both parties remain in disagreement over the fundamental terms.
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