MOSCOW, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated on Wednesday Ukrainian World War II veterans on the 65th anniversary of Ukraine's liberation from the Nazis, the Kremlin said.
Medvedev also expressed confidence that the current strained relations between the Russian and Ukrainian governments would be overcome, and would not affect links between the people of the two former Soviet republics.
"On this day we honor our veterans, we bow our heads before the memory of those who in the fierce battle with the Nazis gave their lives for victory - for our common victory. We will forever keep the memory of this feat, the unity of our peoples in the struggle against the enemy, passing it from generation to generation," the Russian president said in a message to Ukrainian veterans.
Ties between Kiev and Moscow have been strained in recent years, particularly over natural gas deliveries, Ukraine's desire to join NATO, and interpretations of the two countries' common history.
Medvedev said in August that his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, was to blame for the deterioration in relations. During Yushchenko's time in office, Ukraine has sought to have the deaths of millions of Ukrainians due to famine in the 1930s recognized as genocide, a move Russia has fiercely opposed. Yushchenko has also angered Moscow by praising Ukrainian nationalists who fought against Soviet troops ending the Nazis occupation of Ukraine.
The Russian president expressed confidence that any attempt to break the centuries-old bonds between Russia and Ukraine would not succeed.
"All attempts to sow distrust between the two nations on the basis of history are doomed to failure. In Russia, we cherish the fact that millions of citizens of independent Ukraine share a sense of pride in our common past," Medvedev said.
