Vladimir Putin is leading the celebration of Russia’s victory day with parades and increased security in Red Square days after Ukraine’s strike targeting the capital.
Chinese President Xi Jinging is one of more than 20 international leaders who have made a trip to Moscow.
A one-sided three-day ceasefire was announced by Russia, coinciding with the gorgeous 80th anniversary event that Ukraine rejected as a “theater show” designed to protect the parade.
The Ukrainian forces have said that since the ceasefire came into effect on May 8, it has been under thousands of attacks. Russia claims that a ceasefire has been observed and that it is accusing Ukraine of hundreds of violations.
A few days before the proposed ceasefire, Moscow and Kiev traded a barrage of strikes.
Flights at airports across Russia have been cancelled, with around 60,000 passengers stuck in the wake of a Ukrainian drone attack.
Heavy restrictions are in place in the heart of Moscow as Russia prepares to mark the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
According to Russia, 27 world leaders are taking part in the event, with thousands of troops marching in Red Square ahead of a parade of some of Russia’s latest weapons.
Brazilian Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are among the guests who gathered together with Serbian President Alexander Vicz and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Kaja Karas, the head of foreign policy in the EU, had previously made clear that European leaders should not take part in the Russian full-scale war in Ukraine.
For Putin, attendance of China’s XI on victory day is considered an important achievement. The two men held two rounds of talks and an informal chat about the war in Ukraine before the parade, the Chinese report said.
Ukraine’s Voldymirzelensky warned that it would not be possible to guarantee the safety of those who had previously attended the event, urging the head of state not to travel to Moscow.
Mykhailo Samus, a Ukrainian military analyst and director of the new Geopolitics Research Network, told the BBC that Ukraine would refrain from attacking the parade, primarily due to the presence of foreign leaders.
But if Ukraine chooses to do so, it would constitute a legal military target, Samus said.
In a speech on Thursday evening, Zelensky said Ukraine was “prepared to start a ceasefire right now.”
“But it must be real,” he said in the X video.
He called on Russia to support the ceasefire and “prove its willingness to end the war.”
Ukraine accused Russia of violating its own ceasefire thousands of times, as it was supposed to come into effect on Wednesday night.
On the second day of the armistice, Ukraine said there were nearly 200 clashes along the frontline, 18 Russian airstrikes and nearly 4,000 clashes of Russian artillery fire.
In Primorsuke, a village in the Zaporidia region, a woman was reportedly killed after a Russian drone attacked the car.
The Russian Ministry of Defense states that all groups of Ukrainian Russian forces “have halted combat operations completely and remained in previously occupied lines and positions.” However, they were responding to violations by the Ukrainian military in a “mirror-like way.”
Zelensky repeatedly dismissed Putin’s proposal as a “game” and called for a long ceasefire of at least 30 days.
He spoke with US President Donald Trump, saying he had repeatedly prepared for “long-lasting peace” and had discussions “in all forms.” He said he told Trump that the 30-day ceasefire was a “real indicator” of moving towards peace.
Writing on True Social on Thursday, the US president repeatedly called for an unconditional ceasefire and warned of further sanctions against the parties who failed to sign it.
