EU Urges European Leaders to Avoid Russia’s WWII Victory Day Celebrations

EU’s Kallas Urges Leaders to Boycott Moscow’s May 9 Military Parade in Solidarity With Ukraine

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on Monday urged European leaders to skip Russia’s upcoming May 9 military celebrations in Moscow, calling instead for a show of unity with Ukraine amid the ongoing war.

Speaking to reporters in Luxembourg after a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas emphasized that any participation in the event would be viewed negatively by the bloc. “What was also discussed very clearly, and said by different member states, is that any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side, considering that Russia is really waging a full-scale war in Europe,” she said.

Her comments come as Russian state media reported that President Vladimir Putin had extended invitations to the leaders of China, India, and Brazil—along with Slovakia, an EU member, and Serbia, a candidate for EU membership—to attend the annual commemoration of the Soviet victory in World War II.

May 9 carries significant symbolic weight for the Kremlin and has increasingly been used to showcase Russia’s military might. Kallas’s warning highlights growing concerns in Brussels that attendance by European or EU-aspiring leaders could be seen as tacit approval of Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.