Closing summary
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said that anyone attending the military parade in Moscow to mark the end of the second world war had brought shame on themselves, after Slovak prime minister Robert Fico became the only European Union leader to attend.
The United States and its European allies are finalising a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that if refused would see them jointly impose new sanctions on Russia, a French diplomatic source said on Friday. The source said the proposal had still not been given a green light and would be worked on over the weekend at a summit being held in Ukraine.
Support for Ukraine is the “absolute focus” of Britain and its northern European allies, Keir Starmer said as he attended a military summit in Norway that coincided with Russia’s Victory Day celebrations. The prime minister met counterparts at a Joint Expeditionary Forces (JEF) leaders’ gathering in Oslo on Friday, during which Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke virtually.
France and Poland signed a treaty on Friday to increase cooperation on defence, nuclear energy and other measures, in a sign of growing alliances between European nations amid concerns about US commitment to Europe’s security. The signing came a day before Ukraine hosts leaders of the so-called “coalition of the willing” – countries led by France and Britain that want to step up support for Ukraine in the face of a more sceptical Trump administration.
Ukrainian authorities claim to have busted a Hungarian spy ring operating on its territory, alleging that Budapest was collecting sensitive military data with one eye on a possible future incursion into the west of the country. Hungary’s foreign minister dismissed the accusations as “propaganda” and announced the expulsion of two Ukrainians described as “spies working under diplomatic cover” at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that European leaders from the “coalition of the willing” will meet in Ukraine on Saturday. “In Ukraine, we are also preparing to meet with the leaders of the coalition of the willing … Tomorrow we have meetings,” Zelensky told a military summit in Oslo via video link, AFP reported, without saying who would attend.
Russian president Vladimir Putin greeted North Korean military personnel on Red Square after a military parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, several weeks after Pyongyang’s troops helped Moscow oust Ukrainian forces from its Kursk region.
That’s all from the Europe live blog for today. Thanks for following along.
Despite warnings from European Union officials, Slovakia’s Moscow-friendly prime minister, Robert Fico, shook hands with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin before becoming the only EU leader to attend Russia’s 9 May parade of military forces waging war on Ukraine.
The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, whose country aspires to join the 27-nation bloc, also accepted the Russian president’s invitation to attend the annual Victory Day celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in the second world war.
The pair were the only European leaders to travel to Moscow after strong injunctions from EU officials not to do so. On Thursday, the bloc’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said: “All those who truly support peace cannot stand side-by-side with Putin. Those who truly support peace should be in Ukraine tomorrow, not Moscow.”
Kallas added this week that the Russian president was “waging a war right now, not a war from history. That remains on the conscience of those attending”.
Donald Tusk, who later on Friday was due to sign a cooperation and friendship treaty with France including joint security and defence commitments, sharply criticised both leaders, although did so without naming them.
The Polish prime minister said: “For me it is unthinkable that one can be from this part of the world and – during Russia’s aggression against Ukraine – be in Red Square and celebrate Victory Day with those who are murdering children, civilians and attacking other countries.”
