Leaders of 27 nations join Putin at Victory Day celebrations in Moscow

Leaders of 27 nations joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Addressing the Victory Day parade at the Red Square here, Putin underscored that the defeat of Nazi Germany was accomplished through the collective efforts of Allied Nations, and the opening of the second front by the Normandy landing of the Allied forces contributed to bringing the victory in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people closer.

“The complete defeat of Nazi Germany, militarist Japan, and their satellites across various regions of the world was achieved through the joint efforts of the Allied Nations. We will always remember that the opening of the Second Front in Europe, following the decisive battles on Soviet territory, helped bring victory closer,” he said.

The Victory Day celebrations in Moscow are being attended by leaders of 27 foreign states, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

India was represented by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth.

The other leaders who attended the parade include, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Contingents from 13 countries, including China, Egypt, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, also marched at the Red Square parade.

Meanwhile, dozens of European officials met in Lviv, in western Ukraine, to endorse the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian officials accused of war crimes.

Ukraine’s PM Denys Shmyhal on Friday said the EU will allocate almost 1.9 billion euros for military support to his country. Weapons will be purchased using proceeds from Russian frozen assets through the European Peace Fund.