Everyone in their corner. The commemorations of the victory of May 8, 1945 against Nazi Germany therefore took place this Thursday in most European capitals. But no real major, cross -border, highly symbolic and international event could be set up. The only one will be the gigantic Russian military parade promised on the Red square this Friday, May 9 (the unconditional capitulation of the Third Reich having entered into force on May 8 at 11:01 p.m. Berlin time, and therefore on May 9 at 1:01 a.m. These Putinian commemorations will be made in the presence of a dozen heads of state, including Chinese Xi Jinping and the Brazilian Lula.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had invited the European leaders to come to kyiv on that date, “to counterbalance the festivities of May 9 in Moscow” according to Politico, but the steps do not seem to have to succeed. Finally the Frenchman Macron, the British Starmer, the German Merz, even the Polish Tusk could go to kyiv on Saturday May 10, after the celebrations. But for the 8 (or 9), nothing at all.
When coordination and will be lacking
In France, on the Champs-Elysées, the annual wreath deposits and revival of the flame of the soldier unknown by the President of the Republic were moved from morning to evening to increase them somewhat by special tributes and a “peace concert” in the presence of artists like Zaz, Calogero, Renaud Capuçon or Nana Mouskouri. But the Elysée had to recognize that the event would be simply national, without foreign head of state when there was a question of making this May 8 a more international and diplomatic meeting.
As part of the traditional first courtesy visit to the new German chancellor to the French president on Wednesday, a couple finally a little less aligned than expected, The world Also mentioned “the idea of a trip to Normandy to take a photo on the landing beaches, ninety years after the capitulation of the Third Reich”. The image of a Friedrich Merz alongside Emmanuel Macron in a symbolic place on this date would have been “certainly as evocative as that of François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl holding by the hand in Verdun”, underlined the evening daily life.
None of this will have happened. If France had commemorated with great international pomp the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landing in 2024, the 80th anniversary of the final victory will therefore have been visible in Moscow for lack of coordination and/or European will. Not to mention the total absence of the other great actor of this victory … The United States of a Donald Trump more busy playing with his customs duties.
