© Reuters. People walk past a closed store of the sporting goods retailer Nike at a shopping mall in Saint Petersburg, Russia May 25, 2022. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
(Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he had spoken to Nike Inc (NYSE:) and thanked the U.S. sportswear maker for making what he called the “right decision” to pull out of Russia.
“This is an example of how business can play a significant role in protecting humanity and freedom,” he said in a nightly video address. “If a state chooses the path of terror, it is the duty of every self-respecting company to distance itself from such a state.”
The Ukrainian leader provided no further details. Nike officials were not immediately available for comment.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.”
Nike told Reuters on June 23 that it was making a full exit from Russia, after saying in March it would temporarily suspend operations at all its Nike-owned and -operated stores in Russia in response to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
Nike joined other major brands in confirming its complete departure from the Russian market. Samsung Electronics (OTC:) Co Ltd, which was the leading supplier of handsets to Russia as of the fourth quarter of 2021, froze shipments in early March citing “current geopolitical developments.”
But Izvestia this week quoted a source close to the company as saying sales could resume in October, with supplies of equipment to retailers and a resumption of its official online store. Samsung (KS:) said nothing had been decided.
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