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Moscow event is taking place under tight security amid fears Ukraine could carry out drone strikes
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Vladimir Putin claimed the Soviet Union “determined the outcome of the Second World War” as he inspected Russian troops at a Victory Day parade in Moscow.
Mr Putin vowed Russia would “never agree to any distortion of its events, nor to attempts to justify executioners and defame the true victors” during a speech at Moscow’s Red Square on Friday morning.
It came just days after US president Donald Trump said “nobody came close” to America in “terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance” during the conflict.
The Kremlin leader said Russian society was “supporting the participants of the special military operation” in Ukraine today as the motherland “felt the joy” on the 80th anniversary defeating Nazi Germany in 1945.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the parade as “bile and lies”. “It will be a parade of cynicism. There is just no other way to describe it,” he said on Thursday.
Chinese president Xi Jinping was among world leaders who attended the parade and was seen sat next to Mr Putin.
Around 11,500 troops were lined up in ranks on Red Square, including 1,500 who have fought in Ukraine, compared to only 7,000 a few years ago.
European leaders have backed the creation of a tribunal to prosecute Russian president Vladimir Putin and his officials over the invasion of Ukraine.
The show of unity from ministers from almost 20 European nations came on the same day Moscow celebrated its Victory Day commemorating World War 2.
At a meeting in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, the European ministers gave their political sign-off to the tribunal, welcoming the completion of the technical work required to set it up.
The tribunal will be set up within the framework of the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights watchdog that was formed after World War Two to uphold rights and the rule of law.
Russia denies its troops have committed atrocities in Ukraine since its forces launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine says Russian troops have committed many thousands of war crimes.
The tribunal could start operating next year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was a moral duty for Europe to hold Russia accountable for the war.
“A strong tribunal for the crime of aggression can – and must – make any potential aggressor think twice,” he said in a video address to the meeting.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare visit to Russia’s embassy in Pyongyang with his daughter on Friday and reaffirmed “the invincible alliance” between the two countries, while Russia’s leader greeted North Korean generals in Moscow.
Congratulating Russia on the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, Kim said North Korea would “consolidate and develop the long tradition of the DPRK-Russia relations, the noble ideological foundation and the invincible alliance”, state-run KCNA reported.
Kim has taken his young daughter to a variety of events recently, part of what South Korean intelligence views as plans for her to succeed her father.
North Korea’s unprecedented deployment of thousands of troops, as well as huge amounts of artillery ammunition and missiles, has helped Russia push back a Ukrainian incursion into its western Kursk region. It has also brought North Korea and Russia – both economically and politically isolated – closer.
Vladimir Putin claimed the Soviet Union “determined the outcome of the Second World War” as he inspected Russian troops at a Victory Day parade in Moscow.
Mr Putin vowed Russia would “never agree to any distortion of its events, nor to attempts to justify executioners and defame the true victors” during a speech at Moscow’s Red Square on Friday morning.
It came just days after US president Donald Trump said “nobody came close” to America in “terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance” during the conflict.
“We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance,” the president said.
The Kremlin says the attendance of Russian allies such as Xi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and several dozen leaders from the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia and Latin America shows Russia is not isolated even if Moscow’s former WW2 Western allies want to stay away.
Chinese troops took part in the parade, and Putin shook hands with North Korean officers, praising them for their fighting skill.
North Korean troops have helped Russia fight an incursion into its western Kursk region by Ukrainian forces seeking a bargaining chip in any peace talks.
US vice president JD Vance has said the US will be ready to “walk away” from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
“We knew that Russia would ask for too much because Russia’s perspective on the ground is that they’re winning,” Mr Vance said, claiming that Ukraine wants a ceasefire because “things are not going so well for them”.
“Our attitude is we don’t want Ukraine to collapse. We obviously want Ukraine to remain a sovereign country. But Russia can’t expect to be given territory they haven’t even conquered yet,” he said.
“I actually think that it’s progress that they’re even talking at all – the Russians and Ukrainians. I think it’s progress that they are putting concrete peace plans on the table. But we knew that the Russians’ first offer would be too much. We knew that they would ask for more than what was reasonable to give, that’s how negotiations often work,” the US vice president said, adding that he is not bothered by these issues.
“What would bother me is if we conclude that the Russians are not engaging in negotiation in good faith. And if that happens, yeah, we’re going to walk away,” Mr Vance told Fox News yesterday.
“The president’s gonna say – we’re out of this,” Mr Vance said, adding that the US exiting peace talks won’t be good for anyone.
Poland and France will sign a treaty on Friday in which they will commit to helping each other in the event of a military threat, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The treaty will be signed amid security concerns in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which borders Poland, and amid European doubts about U.S. President Donald Trump’s long-term commitment to the continent’s security.
The treaty, which the two countries will sign in the French city of Nancy, covers topics including defence, energy, nuclear, and transport matters.
“The provision that we have in the treaty is…that in the event of a threat of attacks on Poland and France, both countries commit to provide assistance, including military assistance,” Tusk told reporters before leaving for France.
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Ukraine war latest: Putin claims Soviets decided WW2 in dig at Trump – The Independent
