Allied in World War II, Russia and Western European powers are now adversaries as they mark 80 years since the surrender of the Nazis.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has divided the continent anew, and the war and its daily death tolls loom large in victory commemorations and events across Europe.
Moscow is hosting a massive parade Friday — along with the leaders of China, Brazil and many others — meant to project Russian power, after Britain, France and the U.S. held ceremonies Thursday. Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers will gather Friday in Lviv to show support for Ukraine, and European leaders meeting in Oslo are expected to do the same. ___
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, saying “we are proud of their courage and determination, their spiritual force that always has brought us victory.”
Putin was speaking during Friday’s military parade. The Russian leader declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting Wednesday to coincide with the Victory Day celebrations, but warned that Russian troops will retaliate to any attacks.
Moscow has been reluctant to accept a U.S.-proposed 30-day truce that Ukraine has accepted, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies to Ukraine and Kyiv’s mobilization effort, conditions Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected.
Ukrainian authorities reported scores of Russian strikes on Friday that killed at least two people in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and damaged buildings.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he had a “good conversation” with Donald Trump, during which the two marked Victory Day and discussed the path toward peace in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Friday he briefed Trump on the battlefield situation and reiterated that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire “starting even today,” urging Russia to support the proposal.
He emphasized Ukraine’s willingness to engage in talks “in any format” but said Russia must prove its commitment by declaring a full, unconditional ceasefire.
Zelenskyy added that Trump confirmed his desire to help end the war and supported the idea of a ceasefire, with both agreeing to remain in contact.
Russia began a vast military parade in Moscow’s Red Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
President Vladimir Putin and a host of foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, attended the parade.
A massive parade through Red Square and other ceremonies underline Moscow’s efforts to project its power and cement the alliances it has forged while seeking a counterbalance to the West amid the 3-year-old war in Ukraine.
Festivities this year were overshadowed by reports of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and severe disruptions at the capital’s airports, as well as cellphone internet outages on Wednesday.
Victory Day, which celebrates the surrender of Nazi Germany that ended World War II, is Russia’s most important secular holiday.
While most Western countries celebrate the anniversary on May 8, Russia celebrates it on May 9.
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe, actually accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany at 2:41 a.m. local time on May 7, in a ceremony at Reims, France. Although the news leaked out by that evening, the official announcement was delayed until the following day as U.S., Britain and France tried to work out differences with the Soviet Union, which felt the surrender didn’t recognize the sacrifices its troops had made in securing victory.
A second surrender document was signed around midnight on May 8 in Berlin, satisfying Soviet concerns.
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