Russia's display of force in its military parade on May 9 "won't intimidate" Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an address to the European Parliament.
"The message of this May 9 is not the one that is heard today from Moscow. Our message: the past will not triumph over the future. And the future, our future, is the European Union!" Scholz said, as quoted by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
Scholz also reiterated Europe's long-term support for Ukraine, according to Ukrinform.
Russia commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9, as opposed to May 8, when Victory Day celebrations in most former Allied countries occur.
In 2015, then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko designated May 8 as the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation but Ukraine kept celebrating Victory Day on May 9.
May 8 was a working day, and May 9 remained a public holiday.
On May 8, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada to switch to celebrating Victory Day on May 8.
Zelensky also signed a decree to make May 9 Europe Day, held annually in other EU member countries to celebrate "peace and unity in Europe."
Eugene Czolij
(Updated: )
