European leaders refused to go to Kyiv on May 9 – Politico

European leaders have declined Ukraine’s invitation to visit Kyiv on May 9, all citing more pressing engagements.

This was reported by Politico.

As Politico notes, Ukraine had invited top European officials to Kyiv in a symbolic counter to the Victory Day parade in Moscow, to which Russian President Vladimir Putin had invited numerous world leaders. However, those invited by Kyiv will be elsewhere on that day.

For example: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will be in the French city of Nancy to sign a security agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to attend a defense summit in Oslo, Norway. Germany’s incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly does not wish to travel before the full government has been confirmed.

There are indications, however, that foreign ministers from some EU countries may visit Lviv on May 9 instead.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot previously stated that EU foreign ministers would gather in Kyiv on May 9 to mark Europe Day.

At the same time, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas warned that EU countries whose representatives attend Moscow’s May 9 celebrations would face “consequences.”

Meanwhile, leaders from 19 countries have announced plans to attend the parade in Moscow, marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In addition to frequent CIS guests, expected attendees include: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Vietnamese President Tô Lâm, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico have also confirmed their attendance at Moscow’s May 9 parade.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin will release the official list of foreign guests at a later date.

Back in February, Peskov also noted that President Vladimir Putin would be happy to see other world leaders in Moscow on May 9 — including U.S. President Donald Trump.