Ukraine has invited European Union leaders to visit Kyiv on May 9th, the same day Russia will be holding its annual Victory Day parades commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.
According to Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the move is intended to counter Russia's narrative and demonstrate “unity and resolve” in the face of ongoing war.
Numerous world leaders are expected to attend the parade in Moscow, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reportedly send an emissary in his place. In total, at least ten world leaders are expected to be present at the event.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to host leaders from the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” a group of European nations potentially prepared to send troops to Ukraine. The gathering is expected to focus on discussing the terms of these deployments.
Victory Day celebrations have been effectively outlawed in Ukraine since 2014, following a ban on communist symbols and a broader crackdown implemented by the government that came to power after the events of 2013–2014. In 2023, President Zelensky officially abolished Victory Day as a public holiday, replacing it with the “Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II,” to be observed on May 8th—the same date that Western Europe and the United States mark the end of the war in Europe.
The contrasting commemorations highlight shifting global alignments: while leaders from EU countries will gather in Kyiv, many from the Global South will be in Moscow. This split reflects the reality that although Russian President Vladimir Putin may be isolated from the West, he continues to maintain strong relations with much of the non-Western world—while President Zelensky and Ukraine remain firmly aligned with the West.