By Nina Bachkatov
Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, this year’s Victory Day commemorations were marked less by shared remembrance than by sharp geopolitical fractures. While honouring the millions who perished remains a moral imperative, the celebrations of May 2025 unfolded under the shadow of a world order in flux — and, some argue, in retreat.
Against the backdrop of a third year of war in Ukraine, the V-Day events served more to highlight divisions than to evoke unity. Former allies now face each other as strategic adversaries; familiar institutions appear strained, and proposals for a post-WWII-style settlement — one that might replace the fraying “rules-based international order” — remain conspicuously absent.
Rival narratives
Russia seized the occasion to assert its global relevance, staging a show of diplomatic breadth and military defiance. The West, meanwhile, aimed to project cohesion by reinforcing its support for Ukraine and tightening economic and diplomatic measures against the Kremlin.
On 4 May, Russian state television aired a 90-minute documentary, Moscow. Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years, in which President Vladimir Putin reiterated the narrative that Moscow was “forced” to intervene in Crimea following Ukraine’s 2014 Revolution of Dignity. He argued that a broader military operation was deferred at the time because Russia was unprepared for direct confrontation with the West.
Putin’s proposed ceasefire for 8–10 May was quickly dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies as cynical and insincere. Nonetheless, in a symbolic phone call on 6 May, he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “defend the truth” of WWII history, acknowledging the shared importance of 9 May, also a public holiday in Israel.
On 7 May, Russia’s media apparatus amplified the failure of German opposition leader Friedrich Merz to secure a Bundestag majority, and highlighted former US President Donald Trump’s unexpected endorsement of the proposed truce. Meanwhile, international attention turned to Rome amid speculation over the next papal succession.
Proposals and counter-proposals
On 8 May, the EU unveiled plans to initiate proceedings at the World Trade Organisation against US tariffs on European automobiles and spare parts. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer finalised a trade agreement with President Trump, the first such deal since the so-called “liberation day.” In Warsaw, two dozen European foreign ministers met to chart a recalibrated transatlantic strategy, committing €1 billion in additional aid to Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas barred all member and candidate states from participating in Moscow’s Red Square events. President Zelensky, citing security concerns, warned against attending, as Ukrainian drone activity forced the temporary closure of Moscow’s airports. The Baltic states preemptively closed their airspace to flights heading to the Russian capital.
By 9 May, a symbolic counter-event had been organised in Lviv, western Ukraine, with over 30 European delegates marking the Day of Europe in defiance of Moscow’s narrative. The gathering announced the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression and called for an unconditional ceasefire to begin on 12 May.
Undeterred, Putin presided over the Red Square parade flanked by Chinese President Xi Jinping, leaders from BRICS and CIS nations, and even representatives from one EU member state and a candidate country — a direct rebuff to Brussels’ call for a boycott of the Red Square ceremony. The participation of Chinese and North Korean troops underscored a pivot toward militarised alliances and suggested a blurring of lines between diplomatic partnership and battlefield support. In his address, Putin invoked familiar themes: resistance to Nazism, Russophobia, and Western hegemony. He cast the war in Ukraine as an extension of the unfinished legacy of 1945.
On 10 May, Ukraine and four European leaders — gathered in Kyiv — issued a direct ultimatum to Moscow: accept an unconditional ceasefire by 12 May or face further sanctions coordinated with Washington. Trump, they noted, had agreed in principle but the US stopped short of outlining technical enforcement, instead offering to monitor the situation. The Kremlin signaled that it would “think over” on the proposal and criticised the West’s adversarial stance. In a late-night statement, Putin countered with an offer for direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, scheduled for 15 May and without preconditions — pointedly omitting any reference to the EU-backed ceasefire.
Waiting for more
By 11 May, Trump hailed the initiative as a “potentially great day” for both nations, emphasising the humanitarian imperative. Europe, wary of being sidelined again, continued to press for the 12 May truce. Turkish President Erdoğan, positioning himself as regional broker, opened the door to mediation, while French President Emmanuel Macron — battling renewed political instability at home — swiftly engaged Erdoğan to explore the diplomatic contours.
Meanwhile, a parallel breakthrough occurred on 10 May: India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire following US mediation. In Geneva, high-level US and Chinese delegations started trade negotiations, seeking to avert a broader economic rupture. Trump confirmed a 12 May visit to Oman for discussions with Iranian officials concerning sanctions, nuclear oversight, and regional security.