The European Union ordered candidate countries not to attend the May 9 parade in Moscow

The European Union has given clear instructions to states that are candidates for joining the bloc not to visit Russia and not to participate in the celebrations in Moscow dedicated to the celebration of May 9, including the parade.

This was announced to journalists by Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on April 14, a correspondent for "European Truth" reports.

This happened during a working dinner with representatives of the Western Balkan countries the day before, April 13. Braje explained: the EU argued for such an instruction by saying that it did not correspond to the values of the bloc.

“Yesterday we had a busy evening with dinner with Western Balkan partners… There were many discussions on values, agreeing on a common foreign and security policy, including sanctions,” she said.

• In most European countries, as well as in the United States and Great Britain, the holiday of victory in World War II is celebrated on May 8, because on this day in 1945, at 22:43 Central European Time, the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed. According to Moscow time, the surrender was signed at 00:43 the next day, May 9.
• Until 2015, in Ukraine, as in other CIS countries, Victory Day was officially celebrated on May 9. In 2015, the Verkhovna Rada amended the legislation: May 8 was established as the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation in honor of all victims of World War II, and May 9 was the Day of Victory over Nazism in World War II.
• In June 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Bill No. 9278 establishing May 8 as the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939–1945. According to Zelenskyʼs proposal, May 8 will become a holiday, that is, a non-working day, but only after martial law ends. Instead, May 9, Europe Day, will be a working day.

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