In a speech to mark Victory in Europe Day, President Zelensky has vowed that the “evil” of Russia will be defeated in Ukraine just like that of Nazi Germany was in World War II.
“All the old evil that modern Russia is bringing back will be defeated just as Nazism was defeated,” Zelensky said in a video statement standing in front of a war memorial.
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“Just as we destroyed evil together then, we are destroying a similar evil together now,” he added.
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It is on May 8 that most nations of the world remember the greatness of the victory over the Nazis. The world admires all those who were protecting and protected life. Who threw down the Nazi flags on the liberated territory and who opened the gates of the concentration camps.…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 8, 2023
Zelensky also announced he had submitted a bill to parliament to formally commemorate World War II in Ukraine on May 8 and celebrate Europe Day on May 9, in yet another step to distance his country from the traditions of Russia.
His address comes on the anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender to Allied forces on May 8, 1945 and one day ahead of Victory Day in Moscow, which celebrates the Soviet Union's victory in World War II.
“We’re returning to our country a history without ideological impurities,” he said. “It is on 8 May that most of the world’s nations remember the greatness of the victory over Nazism.
“It is on 8 May that the world honors the memory of all those whose lives were taken by that war. It was on 8 May that the Act on the Unconditional Surrender of the Wehrmacht came into force.”
The President emphasized that Ukraine would never forget the contribution of its people to the victory over Nazism and would not allow anyone to say that the victory could have happened without the participation of any country or people.
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“Many years ago, the tradition of celebrating Europe Day on 9 May was established on our continent to mark the peace and unity achieved,” Zelensky said.
“Today, unity on our continent brings us closer to celebrating the first day of our peace. And it will be right to celebrate Europe Day together with the entirety of free Europe.”
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