Ukrainian leader invites European officials to Kyiv on May 9 to counter Putin’s parade

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for his annual military parade in Moscow on May 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited top European officials to Kyiv, presenting a diplomatic counter to Russia's show of force.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha extended the invitation during a meeting with European Union counterparts in Luxembourg on April 14, calling on them to “show our unity and resolve in the face of the biggest aggression in Europe since the Second World War”, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The invitation is part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to shift international attention away from Moscow’s celebrations and highlight its ongoing struggle against Russian aggression. The invitation comes over three years after Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while US President Donald Trump works to broker a ceasefire between the two countries. Zelenskyy has also proposed a separate meeting with leaders from the "coalition of the willing" in May to discuss “security guarantees” for Ukraine, once a potential ceasefire with Russia is in place.

The US is not part of this coalition. Details of the upcoming meeting remain unclear, but discussions are reportedly underway about a visit to Ukraine in early May by heads of state, including soon-to-be German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to two anonymous EU diplomats. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin has invited leaders from Israel, China, Brazil, Slovakia, and Serbia to Moscow for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Notably absent from the invite list are the US and most EU member states. 

No Western leaders have attended the parade in recent years. In the midst of this diplomatic standoff, Russia continues its military campaign, including a deadly missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, on Palm Sunday that killed 34 and injured over 170. The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation, with Trump calling it “terrible” but refraining from direct criticism of Russia.

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, issued a stern warning to all EU candidate countries following the April 14 meeting of foreign ministers, urging them to refrain from participating in Russia’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. In March, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić confirmed his visit to the Russian capital for the occasion. Serbia, which holds EU candidate status, has also pledged to send a contingent of its military to participate in the May 9 parade after Vučić made the promise to President Vladimir Putin.

The only EU member state leader expressing readiness to attend Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations is Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who accepted the invitation last year.

By Naila Huseynova