75 years after Russia & America worked TOGETHER to defeat Hitler, Trump SNUBS Putin's Moscow celebrations invite
by RT
75 years after Russia & America worked TOGETHER to defeat Hitler, Trump SNUBS Putin’s Moscow celebrations invite
While the ‘Russiagate’ hoax kept millions entertained in the fantasy world of US cable news, it also had plenty of real-world consequences. Now another can be added to the list: the White House’s absence from Moscow on May 9.
US President Donald Trump has rejected Vladimir Putin’s invitation to the Russian capital to mark the 75th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany, according to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Trump’s non-attendance, which could be seen by many in Russia as an extraordinary affront to Soviet Russia’s disproportionate sacrifice in annihilating fascism, marks an incredible U-turn after he previously showed a willingness to come to the May 9th parade. It can only be presumed that fear of being seen in Moscow during an election year forced the president’s hand, given he has endured years of bizarre smears about his supposed connections to Russia.
Despite almost perpetually frosty relations between the two countries, the US has always recognized the sacrifice of Russia during the Second World War. With an estimated 27 million Soviet deaths, it played a huge role in defeating the Axis powers. 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the victory, and Russia is set for a triumphant celebration. Everyone is acutely aware of the fact this will probably be the last major celebration in which a significant number of veterans will be able to take part, given even the youngest survivors are now in their 90s.
Through tensions, crises, and even the looming threat of nuclear war, many American leaders attended Victory Day parades in Moscow. In 1995, the 50th anniversary, President Bill Clinton observed the parade on Red Square, along with a vast array of other foreign leaders. In 2005, the 60th anniversary, President George W. Bush was in attendance.
“We do not yet know at what level the United States will be represented at the Victory Day celebrations. Indeed, through diplomatic channels, we received information that the president will not come,” Peskov told reporters.
The first official invitations to foreign heads of state came at the 2019 G20 Summit, with President Putin formally inviting US President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Confirmed attendees thus far include the Presidents of Austria, Czech Republic, France, China, Cuba, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Venezuela, with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also confirming his presence. Aside from official delegations, contingents from over 20 foreign countries will take part in the parade, including some from the United Kingdom, the other principal wartime ally.
Earlier in the day, in an interview with news agency TASS, Putin spoke about the Great Patriotic War and the attendance of foreign dignitaries at the Victory Day parade. When asked about the importance of an international presence, the president said: “not at all, it’s our holiday.”
“I think that concerning former members of the anti-Hitler alliance, the right thing to do would be to attend [our event], from both a domestic political stance and a moral one,” he explained. “We look forward to seeing them and we will be glad if they come. If not, well, that’s their choice. But I think it would be a great mistake for them.”
Trump’s absence harks back to an era of the highest Cold War tensions of the late 1970s and early 80s. The last US leader not to visit Russia was one-term Democratic President Jimmy Carter – the president who ended detente, led the 1980 Moscow Olympics boycott and imposed a grain embargo against the USSR. By following in his footsteps, Russian public opinion of Trump could change dramatically.
In December 2019, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that President Trump expressed interest visiting Moscow for the parade. The exact reason for his change of heart remains unknown. Before his 2016 election, Donald Trump visited Russia multiple times, most famously hosting Miss Universe 2013 in Moscow.
