Eurotopics.net

In his speech to the EU Parliament on 9 May, German Chancellor Scholz praised Europe Day as a response to the Second World War and to "destructive nationalism and imperialist megalomania". Europe must continue to rely on the US as a geopolitical partner, whereas China behaves more like a rival, he said. He also stressed that more EU Council decisions should be made on the basis of a qualified majority instead of the current unanimity principle.

President Vladimir Putin justified Russia's attack on Ukraine in his speech on 9 May, the day marking the Soviet Union's victory over Hitler's Germany in 1945. A war is being waged against his country, he declared to thousands of soldiers and veterans gathered on Moscow's Red Square. Commentators pick apart Putin's appearance and this year's much smaller parade.