Moscow celebrated the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany and the end of World War II with a show of force and power in Moscow's Red Square this Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin was joined by international leaders, and at his side, in a direct message to the White House and Europe, he seated Chinese President Xi Jinping. The selection of images captures some of the highlights of the military commemoration.

A group of citizens approached the Soviet World War II memorial located in the Tiergarten, the geographical and emotional heart of Berlin, at noon this Thursday to wave Ukrainian flags. A symbolic gesture that emphasizes the impact that the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the day of victory and the end of World War II on the continent, have had on European capitals. Paris, London, Berlin, The Hague, and Warsaw have commemorated the surrender of the Nazi army, keeping a close eye on Moscow and the Russian threat in the wake of the VE Day. Russian invasion of the neighboring country more than three years ago.

A Ukrainian honor section took part last Monday in the military parade of 1,300 soldiers that went through central London, and which opened the commemorative events in the United Kingdom of the 80th anniversary of VE Day in Europe (VE Day in World War II). On Whitehall Avenue, which connects Parliament Square with Trafalgar Square –where several British ministries are concentrated–, buildings displayed the Union Jack (the British flag) and the Ukrainian flag.

It's struck twelve noon on Big Ben, and the voice of actor Timothy Spall resounded as he reread a brief excerpt from one of Winston Churchill's most famous speeches. Thus began the British commemorations of the 80th anniversary of VE Day (VE Day) in the Second World War this Monday. "This is not a victory of one party or one class. It is a victory of the great British nation as a whole," thundered over the PA system on Whitehall Avenue, where this columnist is located, and also from other corners of the city center, from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.