Edward Lozansky on the snubbing by European leaders, along with the U.S. president, of Moscow’s May 9 celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.
Victory Day parade of the Great Patriotic War on Moscow’s Red Square, May 9, 2015. (Kremlin.ru, Wikimedia Commons /CC BY 4.0)
Edward Lozansky, who sent this dispatch to Consortium News ahead of the 80th anniversary commemoration of the end of World War II in Moscow on Friday, unexpectedly passed away on April 30. Edward, who founded the American University in Moscow, had written several articles for CN and he will be sorely missed. We extend our condolences to his family. Here is the first of two articles that he sent us last month.
By Edward Lozansky
Europeans have sunk so low that the European Union leadership warned EU heads of government against participating in Moscow’s May 9 celebrations this Friday of the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Nor is the EU inviting Russia to take part in anniversary events related to the liberation of Nazi camps or to D-Day, when the U.S.S.R. played an essential role in easing the Western allies’ Normandy landing by re-directing Wehrmacht divisions to the Eastern front.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, on April 15 warned EU leaders to stay away from Moscow. “Any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side, considering that Russia is really waging a full-scale war in Europe,” Kallas told reporters. Kiev instead invited leaders of EU countries to come to the Ukrainian capital on Friday.
Kallas, the EU’s high representative and vice president of the European Commission, center, at a NATO meeting in Brussels of foreign ministers on April 4. (NATO /Flickr/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The Soviet Union destroyed 70 percent of the Wehrmacht and suffered by far the greatest number of casualties in the anti-Nazi front, the deaths of some 25 million people. Yet the EU is shunning the chance to recall this historic alliance and ease tensions with Russia, which could be an attempt at setting the groundwork to end the still raging war in Ukraine.
While it appeared at first that several EU leaders would ignore Kallas’ warning, only one is attending: Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Fico reacted angrily to the “disrespectful” remarks from Brussels. “I would like to inform you that I am a legitimate premier of Slovakia, a sovereign country,“ he told reporters. “Nobody can order me where to go or not to go.“ Fico said he will travel to Moscow to honor the Red Army soldiers who liberated his country and other victims of the Nazis.
Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who has been open to good relations with Moscow, said he would not attend, essentially because Hungary was with the Nazis on the losing side in the war.
Gergely Gulyas, minister in charge of the Hungarian prime minister’s office, said: “For the Hungarian people, the end of World War II had a different significance than for other countries that participated in it.”
Leaders from the following countries will take part in the Moscow event: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestine, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
In a posed shot, 2nd Lt. William Robertson of the U.S. Army and Lt. Alexander Silvashko of the Red Army commemorate the Soviet and American armies’ historic meeting near Torgau, Germany, on Elbe Day, April 25, 1945. (Pfc. William E. Poulson, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Moscow says it’s taking extensive measures to protect them on Friday against a drone attack from Ukraine, which has repeatedly struck the Russian capital with drones. The alarm is real after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy said he can’t guarantee the safety of the 30 heads of state and government who will attend.
“Our position is very simple for all countries traveling to Russia on May 9: We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky told journalists last Saturday. “They are responsible for your safety. We will not provide any guarantees, because we do not know what Russia might do on those dates.”
Where Is Trump?
Trump outside the White House last month. (White House / Daniel Torok)
An international group that started the “Elbe Spirit” movement publicized an appeal to President Donald Trump to go to Moscow where he could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader XI Jinping, recreating an historic Yalta 2.0 summit to start drafting a new World Security Architecture.
In addition to the U.S.-Russia alliance during World War II, Trump should recall the role of the Russian Empire during the American Revolutionary War. Empress Catherine the Great refused British pleas to send 20,000 Russian troops to suppress the rebellion. King George III even offered the island of Minorca as a bribe to get Russia to come to Britain’s aid, but Catherine refused.
Russia’s neutrality helped the American cause by decisively hindering British efforts to defeat the rebels.
Trump is calling the conflict in Ukraine “Biden’s War,” though it was Trump who first armed Ukraine. He says he wants to end it.
It is time to fulfill his pledge. Using the symbolic date of May 9 to both celebrate the end of WWII and to work towards preventing WWIII would have inscribed his name in the history books.
Instead, Trump has apparently listened to his neo-con advisers and decided to skip the opportunity to break with shortsighted European leaders and, despite them, bring peace to their continent.
Edward Lozansky was president and founder of the American University in Moscow and the U.S.-Russia Forum. He was also a professor at the Moscow State and National Research Nuclear Universities.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
I’ve heard many say that Trump gave up am opportunity by not going to Moscow for the celebrations. But if we look at how our President has behaved in public in that past – when he traveled internationally – I think we are much better off with him staying home and – if only – him shutting his stupid mouth. Trump is not a civilized person. Remember his speech to the Boy Scouts, him walking in front of the Queen of England and pouting when he met her, his behavior pushing people out of the way at conferences, etc. He behaves like a very badly behaved child that no parent would want to take to any public event. We would all be better off if the Press would simply ignore him. His stupidity is a disease that can undermine a civilizations norms and stability.
There was a forgotten holocaust occurring in China from 1932 to 1945. Invasion by Japanese Army. Recommend a book by Iris Chang “The Rape of Nanking”. Perhaps the only book to reveal the utter bestiality of the Japanese.
At the end of the war in Europe with Russia now a threat (Soviet Socialist Republic)!! the US took over Japan and basically downplayed their horrific crimes. The new threat was the Soviet Union – and the start of the Cold War.
Wars are horrific – waste of arms money, waste of infrastructure, waste of land by defoliate and unexploded bombs and then the worst- the thousands/millions of civilians.
We have been fed US heroic war films constantly- either as features or serials on TV from the mid-fifties? It does have an impact on perceptions of who won the war.
In memory of Edward Lozansky:
The despicable, non-elected European Commission, ‘vice’ president, brazenly threatening all the legitimate leaders of supposedly sovereign European nations that “Any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side”.
Just who the actual pimps for international vice are; of this, there is no doubt! They are those who still believe in their singular right of colonial, hegemonic power to ride roughshod over others’ wishes.
And the fact that the Commission is led by women, of identical ‘prime’ ilk, such as Starmer, Macron; newly ‘democratically’ elected ‘Chance-allure’ Merz, their male counterparts; as well as, not omitting Italy’s Meloni, is the proof that, in reality, there is no difference between men and women, when evil is in play. They feel they are unquestionably entitled to wield imperial might to rule the roost.
As for “Trump Missing His Chance to Make History in Moscow”; the type of indelible evil he is in the process of unleashing upon humanity, is not required in Moscow, especially not on this auspicious, yet solemn occasion. His infamy is what he will be remembered for; he and his partner in crimes against humanity, Netanyahu and his cohort of nationalist Zionist killers of peace.
This will be the narcissistic, three-time convicted felon, Trump’s, criminal legacy, come what may in the future; if there is to be one.
May 9. The day every year when we are reminded that the thing “The Western World” hates more than anything else is seeing people celebrate the defeat of Chancellor Hitler.
Bottom line is; pissing in the wind.
“Where Is Trump?” M.I.A. It’s unphknforgivable that DJ “the Gemini” Trump is unwilling to dump his “Big $hot” persona & just be a Statesman, i.e., “let the heart be overflowing but let the mouth be restrained.”
…… And, DJ Trump bails!!! He can’t do it! He doesn’t have heart! Trump can’t stand w/Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, World Leaders, he hasn’t met, in Moscow, “watch the procession of thousands of soldiers, dozens of armored vehicles, tanks, nuclear missile launchers. A regiment of Chinese soldiers will march in Red Square before the Kremlin’s crimson walls, and fighter jets are expected to fly over Moscow!”
Concluding, “the viper assumes the colors of its surroundings,” i.e., “Trump has apparently listened to his neo-con advisers and decided to skip the opportunity to break with shortsighted European leaders and, despite them, bring peace to their continent.” Edward Lozansky.
It would be refreshing for a change to hear from the 85% of the rest of the World who do not practice or worship Fascism, both past and present.. But, NO..
I’m not in the least surprised to see most of the ‘euros’ stay away we most do not realise that a lot of those west & central euro nations had fascist governments before they fell in with germany’s Nazis. A lot know about Italy, less Spain but some Scandinavian & west euro nations also had fallen into the hands of gangster fascist dictators as monarchies withered prior to a. hitler scamming his way to chancellor of Germany. How many people know that Finland which hadn’t been occupied by the nazis were only too happy to participate in the 30 month siege & blockade of St. Petersburg / Leningrad .
800,000 Leningrad citizens were starved to death during that siege. Even france appeared to be perfectly happy with the fascist vichy state.
The only reason it used to be celebrated was england and amerika celebrated it. Just about all of that time the USSR later Russia, was included, everyone remembered what they did but since nearly all the people who fought in that war are now dead those countries which celebrated it before especially england and amerika still do. One massive difference is that Russia is no longer included; governments have figured “most will not even know, let alone notice that Russia is no longer there”.
Some say they reckoned correctly, however more and more young people have discovered that ‘VE’ celebrations are just another example of faked news and are determined to educate themselves & others what the truth is.
The West is continuing pretending that it was the US that won WWII and wants any memorial celebrations to not include Russia. It continues to be just more of “Russiagate”. Similar to keeping Russia out of the Olympics.
The example of “The Olympics” was always striking to me. Because, it shows that “The Western World” has exactly the same attitude towards The Olympics as Chancellor Hitler once did. The big penalty applied to “Russian Athletes” was that they can not wear their national uniform nor wave their national flag. There were processes for those people to apply to compete, but they had to give up these things to do so.
Chancellor Hitler hosted the 1936 Olympics, and believed that the purpose of the Olympics was to showcase his Third Reich to the world, and show the world the superior German athletes in their national uniforms and waving national flags as they raced to Victory.
The modern Western World has the same approach. The banning of the Russian national uniforms, flags and anthems shouts this loudly. Not that even a fool who views only 5 minutes of America’s “Great” Olympic TV Coverage could have any doubts that they were watching a Herr Goebbels production.
Pathetic Western ‘leaders’…
“Any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side, considering that Russia is really waging a full-scale war in Europe,”
Beyond laughable. Genuine idiocy.
They by no means ever want to see Russia wage “full-scale war.”
Disgraceful that the West is bowing out of this celebration.
“In an interview with Serbian broadcaster RTS recorded in Moscow on Wednesday, Vucic expressed pride in his country’s role during World War II, stating: “I am proud to be the president of Serbia, a nation that has the right to be proud, because it did not welcome Hitler’s soldiers with flowers.”
No, you won’t find that news on Mickey Mouse News (ABC, a Disney subsidiary). I had to use a modern equivalent of a short wave radio to get around the “jamming” that is supposed to keep Free People from seeing this report. And it was interesting that modern Big Tech search engines wanted to steer me first to a Democrat leaning site and then a site from Kiev. But, with persistence and searching through the static, I was able to find the below even though I reside in The Free World.
hxxps://www.rt.com/russia/617003-vucic-moscow-red-square/
I agree with you.
Definitely laughable.
But so much worse, and more dangerous, than laughable.
But why do European leaders obey this harridan?
I believe she comes from a Nazi background.
Like VDL.
What are these two vipers doing in leadership roles in the EU bureaucracy?
Europe is truly the lost continent.
I predict the arrival of young Europeans on our shores seeking to emigrate to the USA.
BTW, the EU has no sovereignty, as it now claims (in an article in Der Spiegel).
The USA is deep in debt and has no universal healthcare, paid maternal leave or decent public transport, so I don’t see those young Europeans going there to jump from the frying pan into the fire. At least not when the same USA was responsible for this crisis in the first place (Where else were the likes of Kallas and von der Leyen educated? Which country’s intelligence agency installed them? Where does Victoria Nuland hail from? And who benefits from the destruction of Nord Stream?)
If emigration were to occur, I predict them going to Russia or China instead.