(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the annual Victory Day military parade in Moscow, acknowledged that the opening of the European front in World War II helped accelerate the defeat of Nazi Germany. However, he stressed that the war’s outcome would not have been possible without the decisive battles fought on Soviet soil.

“We will always remember that the opening of the second front in Europe — after crucial Soviet victories — helped bring victory closer,” Putin said on Friday. He emphasized that Russia values the contributions of Allied forces, including Chinese soldiers on the Asian front.

Putin pointed out the global scale of the conflict, noting that nearly 80% of the world’s population was impacted and that the Axis powers were ultimately defeated through the collective efforts of the Allies. Still, he underscored that the Soviet Union bore the heaviest burden.

“The Soviet people endured the most intense and brutal assaults,” he said. “Millions who once only knew peaceful labor took up arms and secured victory through unwavering determination.”

Putin’s remarks come after criticism of recent statements by former US President Donald Trump, who proclaimed May 8 as “Victory Day for World War II” and credited the United States with decisively winning the war—without acknowledging the Soviet Union’s role. Moscow viewed the omission as a revisionist take on history.

Putin reaffirmed that Russia will never accept historical distortions or efforts to rehabilitate Nazi collaborators and deny the USSR’s central role in the Allied victory. This year’s commemorations mark 80 years since the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany, and leaders from 29 nations are in attendance, along with veterans from countries including the US, Israel, Armenia, and Mongolia.

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