80 years ago World War II in Europe was over. Celebrating V-E Day is now tinged with some dread

By RAF CASERT and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON AP Even if the end of World War II in Europe spawned one of the bulk joyous days the continent ever lived Thursday s th anniversary of V-E Day is haunted as much by the specter of current-day conflict as it celebrates the defeat of ultimate evil Hitler s Nazi Germany had ultimately surrendered after a half-decade of invading other European powers and propagating racial hatred that led to genocide the Holocaust and the murdering of millions That surrender and the explosion of hope for a better life is being celebrated with parades in London and Paris and towns across Europe while even the leaders of erstwhile mortal enemies France and Germany are bonding again Germany s new foreign minister Johann Wadephul paid tribute to the enormous sacrifices of the Allies in helping his country win its freedom from the Nazis and disclosed that millions of people were disenfranchised and tormented by the Nazi regime Hardly any day has shaped our history as much as May he stated in a declaration Our historical responsibility for this breach of civilization and the commemoration of the millions of casualties of the Second World War unleashed by Nazi Germany gives us a mandate to resolutely defend peace and freedom in Europe in contemporary times Gloomy outlook His comments underscore that former European enemies may thrive to the extent that the -nation European Union even won the Nobel Peace Prize but that the outlook has turned gloomy over the past year Bodies continue to pile up in Ukraine where Russia s full-scale invasion started the worst war on the continent since The rise of the hard right in several EU member states is putting the founding democratic principles of the bloc under increasing pressure The time of Europe s carefree comfort joyous unconcern is over In contemporary times is the time of European mobilization around our fundamental values and our shield Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported at a Dutch memorial event in the lead-up to the celebrations It makes this unlikely stretch of peace in Europe anything but a given And even NATO that trans-Atlantic military alliance that assured peace in Europe under the U S nuclear umbrella and its military clout is under internal strain rarely seen since its inception U S contributions to the war effort The United States was instrumental in turning the tide of the war in Europe invading along with Allies the D-Day beaches in France s Normandy on June in what proved to be the tipping point of the war in Europe that inexorably led to the invasion of Germany and the defeat of Hitler On Wednesday U S President Donald Trump proclaimed Thursday as a day for the United States to celebrate achievement in World War II insisting the country should better recognize its essential role in the war We are going to start celebrating our victories again he announced The war did drag on beyond Europe especially in the Pacific against Japan but even Taiwan joined in marking the day for the first time and highlighting current-day threats Instead of Russia it was centering on China its immediate rival China proposes Taiwan as part of its territory to be annexed by force if necessary Military aggression against another country is an unjust crime that is bound to fail Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te mentioned He added that both Taiwan and Europe were now facing the threat of a new authoritarian bloc European celebrations Commemorations have been going all week through Europe and Britain has taken a lead Here too the current-day plight of Ukraine in its fight against Russia took center stage The idea that this was all just history and it doesn t matter now somehow is comprehensively wrong U K Prime Minister Keir Starmer explained Those values of freedom and democracy matter in the modern day In London later Thursday a facility will be held in Westminster Abbey and a concert for members of the citizens at Horse Guards Parade In Paris French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to oversee a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe Images are projected onto the Queen Elizabeth Tower in the Houses of Parliament including the British World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill whose statue is in the foreground during the V-E Day th anniversary events in London Tuesday May AP Photo Alastair Grant And in Berlin Chancellor Friedrich Merz will again highlight how Germany has remodeled itself into a beacon of European democracy by laying a wreath at the central memorial for the casualties of war and tyranny And symbolically Russia and President Vladimir Putin will be totally out of lockstep with the rest of Europe celebrating its Success Day one day later with a huge military parade on Red Square in central Moscow to mark the massive Soviet contribution to defeat Nazi Germany Raf Casert shared from Brussels Mike Corder in Wageningen Netherlands and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this statement