Russian President Vladimir Putin and other participants carry portraits of their relatives – World War II soldiers – as they take part in the May 9 march of the Immortal Regiment on Red Square in central Moscow, Russia. (Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP / Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has joined the Immortal Regiment march on Moscow’s Red Square, holding a portrait of his father, a veteran, the Kremlin said in a statement Monday.
On May 9, as part of the Immortal Regiment campaign, people marched in Russian and foreign cities with portraits of relatives who fought in the Great Patriotic War.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that differences in the way Russia and the European Union have chosen to mark the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany show that these are “very different projects”.
“We showed two very different faces on May 9,” Macron told a news conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Monday.
“On the one hand, there was the will to demonstrate force, intimidation and militant rhetoric. And here there was a wide and civic gathering of citizens, national and European representatives to think about our future, “he continued.
Asked by a journalist whether Putin’s stated desire to avoid confrontation was hypocritical, Macron said: “President Putin has taken a militant position; we are clearly on Ukraine’s side “, but warned that there would be” peace to be built tomorrow “and that” it will not be achieved through mutual exclusion or humiliation “.
Earlier, President Macron addressed the European Parliament, saying that “Ukraine, through its struggle and its courage, is now a heartfelt member of our Europe, our family, our union”, while warning that everyone Ukraine’s formal accession to the EU could take decades.
More on Russia’s Victory Day: World leaders and defense officials have spent weeks speculating on what Putin might reveal about his plans for Ukraine in a speech during Russia’s Victory Day celebrations. The leader gave some clues as to the direction of the conflict.
The Russian president used his speech to mix history with the present, relying on Russian nationalism on its most patriotic holidays to justify its war.
CNN’s Angela Dewan contributed to the report for this post.
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