On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Ukraine on the 22nd anniversary of your country’s independence.

The American and Ukrainian people share a proud history as partners and friends. Every day, we work together on mutually important issues, from promoting economic growth and energy diversification to cooperating on nuclear security and non-proliferation.

We remain committed to helping our Ukrainian partners as you work to become a prosperous European democracy with a free and open economy. We strongly support Ukraine’s fulfillment of the European Union’s conditions for signature of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement at the Vilnius Summit in November.

We appreciate Ukraine’s leadership as chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We also applaud Ukraine’s efforts to advance global peace and security in the European neighborhood and across the globe.

The United States look forward to continued cooperation on these and other issues as we strengthen the ties of friendship between our governments and our people.