As the world celebrates 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany, Victory in Europe Day events this year take place under the shadow of the war in Ukraine and shifting global allegiances. While Emmanuel Macron presides over solemn tributes in Paris, China's Xi Jinping and Brazil’s Lula da Silva travelled to Moscow for Russia’s Victory Day parade – a reminder of the deepening rifts reshaping the post-war world order.
The Nazi surrender did not end World War II because the war against Japan continued in the Far East. However, it was a moment of celebration for the servicemen and women who had battled Adolf Hitler’s army, as well as for people across Europe who had been bombed, invaded and subjugated since the invasion of Poland in 1939.
