Putin hosting Xi Jinping and other world leaders as Russia marks Victory Day – Europe live

Key events

Show cardinal events only

Please crook connected JavaScript to usage this feature

Putin speaks astatine Moscow parade

Russian president Vladimir Putin has conscionable delivered a reasonably little (for his standards) code astatine the Victory Day parade successful Moscow.

From 2nd right: Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping ticker the Victory Day subject parade successful Moscow, Russia. Photograph: Sergei Bobylev/AP

He spoke of “joy and sadness, of pridefulness and gratitude … to the procreation that crushed the nazism astatine the outgo of millions of lives.”

He besides talked that Russia volition “never agree” to events of the 2nd satellite warfare “being distorted,” arsenic helium vowed to support the dignity of the Russian service and ever basal to “nazism, to Russophobia, to antisemitism.”

(Remember, Putin justified the penetration of Ukraine arsenic combat against “neo-nazism.”)

And, indeed, helium claimed that “the whole” of state backed the ongoing penetration connected Ukraine.

“We are arrogant of their bravery and determination, of the fortitude that has ever brought america lone victory,” helium said.

In a motion to Xi Jinping successful the stands, Putin besides made a pointed notation to not lone Russian subject successes and the publication of the allied forces, but besides “the courageous radical of China” specifically.

Morning opening: Alternative futures of Europe

A time aft Victory successful Europe Day celebrations successful astir of Europe, Russia stages a lavish – “biggest ever” – parade successful Moscow to people the 80th day of the extremity of the 2nd satellite war, and amusement disconnected its subject mightiness amid its continuing penetration connected Ukraine.

Military troops basal successful enactment successful Red Square earlier the Victory Day subject parade successful Moscow, Russia. Photograph: Alexey Maishev/AP

Russian president Vladimir Putin hosts a fig of planetary leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Despite repeated disapproval from Brussels, Slovak premier curate Robert Fico is besides there, the lone EU person successful attendance.

In stark contrast, the Moscow parade takes spot connected the aforesaid time arsenic galore European overseas ministers marque a symbolic sojourn to Ukraine instead to denote different circular of enactment for the state and the instauration of a caller International Tribunal for the Punishment of War Crimes and the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R) and archetypal woman of Ukraine Olena Zelenska (L) attending a ceremonial to commemorate the fallen of the Second World War arsenic portion of the Day of Remembrance and Victory implicit Nazism, marking the 80th day of the extremity of World War II successful Europe. Photograph: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images

Elsewhere, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Poland’s Donald Tusk are acceptable to motion a caller pact connected “enhanced practice and friendship” – expected to see information and defence elements – and German’s caller chancellor Friedrich Merz visits Brussels for talks with the EU and Nato, aft being successful Paris and Warsaw earlier this week.

The 2 sets of events – engaging 2 antithetic blocks of countries – connection precise contrasting visions of imaginable aboriginal for Europe and travel astatine the clip of peculiarly tense infinitesimal successful the Russian warfare of aggression connected Ukraine, with much countries, peculiarly connected the eastbound flank of Nato, fearing akin attacks successful the coming years.

We volition bring you each the cardinal updates passim the day.

It’s Friday, 9 May 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.