Even nations consumed by a brutal war paused briefly to extend warm wishes to the United States on its 250th birthday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was among the global leaders sharing messages of appreciation Saturday, drawing a parallel between America’s struggle for independence and Ukraine’s fight to endure Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainians, he said, are battling for “our people’s right to happiness with much the same hope, the same purpose, and the same determination with which Americans won and defended their own independence.”
Zelensky, who faced a tense Oval Office confrontation with President Trump last year, also expressed gratitude for American Patriots — not the revolutionaries of 1776, but the advanced missile systems helping shield Ukraine from relentless Russian drone and missile barrages.
The message came as Ukraine has launched drone strikes far inside Russian territory while continuing to absorb deadly attacks on its own capital.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, chose a more personal tone in his message to the United States.
“Donald, I wish you & your loved ones health, well-being & every success, & I wish all citizens of the United States happiness & prosperity,” Putin told Trump, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Away from the war zone, other leaders around the world also marked the occasion.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has faced his own strains with Trump over the war in Iran and the role of NATO, extended his greetings with an image.
He posted a breathtaking photograph of a glistening Statue of Liberty — a gift from France in 1884 — while the aerobatic Patrouille de France flew overhead, with the air and space force jets releasing red, white and blue smoke.
The Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV issued a lengthy statement Friday expressing “heartfelt congratulations” on the United States anniversary he called “that defining moment” in the nation’s history.
The pontiff said it gave “enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice and democratic self-government.”
He also mentioned “safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception” as well as “welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants.”
King Charles, in a message to Trump and the American people from the royal family, noted “centuries of shared challenge and achievement” between the two nations.
Charles, who brought the house down during his April state visit when he joked that “if it weren’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” said he had no doubt “we will continue to defend our shared values” over the next 250 years.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was more succinct. “Happy 4th July to our American friends on this historic anniversary,” she said, honoring a “partnership that spans the Atlantic.”
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, who had an extraordinary spat with Trump over Iran and las blasted him for “constant, unprovoked attacks,” visited the US embassy in Rome last week and hailed the bond between the two nations while speaking before a large American flag.
She called the US and Italy “sister nations, united by a special relationship that grows stronger day after day and clearly owes a great deal to the more than 20 million Italian-Americans who have contributed to the prosperity of the United States for generations.”
She even brought up times “when our points of view may not be perfectly aligned” but said “our ties are based on loyalty, mutual respect, willingness and an awareness that the strength of one is also automatically the strength of the other.”
