European Union heads of state are steering clear of Ukraine’s upcoming May 9 “Victory Day” commemoration, despite direct invitations from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signaling a diplomatic dance around regional tensions.
Zelenskyy’s symbolic celebration in Lviv was designed to rival Moscow’s annual military parade, which Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts on the same day. The timing wasn’t accidental — Ukraine’s ceremony was crafted as a pointed counter-message to the Kremlin’s martial display.
But key EU leaders, including incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, have confirmed they won’t attend in person. There’s still a chance they may dispatch foreign ministers instead, but the top seats at the table will remain conspicuously empty.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had already made her stance clear — discouraging any official presence at Russia’s Victory Day festivities. Slovakia’s Robert Fico stands alone among EU leaders still planning to attend Moscow’s parade, a move that’s raised eyebrows across the bloc.
Estonia, meanwhile, didn’t mince words. Its foreign ministry’s secretary-general, Jonatan Vseviov, reportedly warned Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that showing up in Moscow would effectively slam the door shut on Serbia’s EU membership ambitions.
While the absence of top brass in Lviv may appear like a snub to Kyiv, the real message is aimed at Moscow — and the balancing act continues.
