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Ukraine Summons Foreign Diplomats Over Participation in Moscow’s May 9 Parade

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Amira Barkhush
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Ukraine Summons Foreign Diplomats Over Participation in Moscow’s May 9 Parade
Russian army tanks drive through central Moscow during a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade where Russia will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany, on May 3, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned diplomats from several countries due to the participation of their senior officials in the May 9 military parade in Moscow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in a press release published on May 9.

The First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Sergiy Kyslytsya emphasized that during Russia’s ongoing war of aggression, mass killings of Ukrainians, strikes on civilian infrastructure, war crimes and crimes against humanity, the presence of foreign high-rank officials at a parade hosted by the aggressor state is regarded by Ukraine as an unfriendly step.

According to the Ministry, the presence of high-ranking officials from certain states at Kremlin-organized events has nothing to do with honoring the memory of the victims and heroes of World War II.

“On the contrary, it constitutes a desecration of that memory and an endorsement of the current aggression in Europe, Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine,” the statement read.

The Ministry also highlighted that Russia is attempting to monopolize the historical memory of the victory over Nazism, appropriating achievements that were made jointly by the peoples of the Anti-Hitler Coalition, including Ukrainians.

“Ukraine will not allow Russia to hijack the memory of the past, appropriate the collective victory, or diminish the decisive role played by the Ukrainian people,” the Ministry stated.

Additionally, Kyslytsya reminded that Russia continues to reject efforts to restore peace and has not accepted the US proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to support on March 11. He emphasized that Russia has failed to uphold its own so-called “parade ceasefire,” continuing its daily attacks along the entire front line.

On May 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, calling it a “grotesque distortion of history and morality”.

He described the annual May 9 military parade in Moscow as a “parade of fear” in contrast to Ukraine’s living tribute to freedom and sacrifice.

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