Ukraine's Foreign Ministry slams visit by six leaders to Putin's parade, honoring war crimes suspect
Putin on May 9 next to the presidents of Kazakhstan Kasim-Zhomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, behind him is the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan (Photo:Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS)
The attendance of the leaders of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan at the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow alongside war crimes suspect Vladimir Putin to be an "immoral and unfriendly step,” Ukraine has said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that during his speech on Red Square, the Kremlin leader justified Russia's war crimes in the full-scale war it is waging against Ukraine, including murders, the destruction of cities and villages, abduction of children, and repression of people in the occupied territories.
The ministry also recalled that in the early hours of May 9, Russia launched yet another mass attack against Ukraine, firing 25 cruise missiles, 15 of which targeted Kyiv. The foreign leaders also views a display of military equipment that Russia has used in its unprovoked aggressive war on Ukraine for almost ten years.
"We consider the participation of the leaders of these foreign states in a public event alongside a war criminal who boasts of unleashing a war in Europe on a scale unknown since World War II as an immoral and unfriendly step towards Ukraine, a manifestation of contempt for the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their survival and freedom," the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry added that the peoples of Central Asia and the Caucasus made an "invaluable contribution" to the victory over Nazism 78 years ago and "do not deserve the fate of being used by the Kremlin now to participate in a farce that has nothing to do with the victory over Nazism."
Before the parade began, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin gave a speech, repeating falsehoods about Ukraine and the West, and blaming them for Russia’s own war of aggression.
The leaders of six countries – Armenia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan – as well as the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, showed up to listen to Putin.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
