Putin says Russian soldiers confronting ‘aggressive force’ armed, supported by NATO

Russian soldiers are confronting “an aggressive force” armed and supported by entire NATO, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.

Delivering a speech at a Victory Day parade on Red Square marking the anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II, Putin said the “generation of victors inspires the soldiers who carry out special military operations tasks today.”

He said Russian scientists and engineers are developing advanced weapons and expanding mass production, “drawing on modern combat experience.”

Speaking about World War II, Putin underlined that the Soviet people made a decisive contribution to the defeat of Nazism, and saved their country and the entire world.

The parade was attended by several foreign leaders, including Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith, and Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar.

Personnel involved in Russia’s “special military operation,” cadets from higher military educational institutions, and members of various branches of the Russian Armed Forces took part in the parade, as well as servicemen from the North Korean army.

Ahead of the commemorations, Russia’s Defense Ministry on Monday announced a proposed two-day ceasefire for Victory Day celebrations on May 8-9, and warned Ukraine of a “massive” missile response if the celebrations were disrupted.

Later that day, Ukraine announced it would also observe a unilateral ceasefire beginning at midnight Tuesday.

However, both sides later accused each other of violating the ceasefire announced separately by Russia and Ukraine.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social media platform that Russia and Ukraine agreed to the ceasefire and a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, expressing appreciation for the agreement by both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War. Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day,” Trump added.