Germany, Europe mark 80 years since end of World War II

As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Germans are torn about how they should feel today about the crimes of the Nazis then.

Should a line be drawn under Germany's culture of remembrance?

US conductor Leon Botstein is warning how easily evil can become legal — and he's delivering his message in Germany on the 80th anniversary of World War II's end.

Freedom takes work, he says, and right now it's at stake.

Read DW's full report on Botstein's message for democracy.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday joined global commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe by remembering "the sacrifice and legacy of those who fought to defeat history's darkest evil." 

Among the Allied forces "that helped free Europe from the Nazis," Herzog said, "We remember the 1.5 million Jewish soldiers who fought and the quarter of a million who did not return."

"We must never be silent in the face of hatred," Herzog said.

Pointing toward growing antisemitism, he added, "The world must always stand, with unequivocal moral clarity and unwavering commitment, united in the defense of freedom and dignity."

British lawmakers formed a procession to Westminster Abbey in central London to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer moved a motion to suspend a Thursday sitting by the House of Commons to free up the lawmakers to attend the procession "to give thanks and commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the greatest victory in the history of our great nation."

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle accepted the motion saying, "We will now follow in the footsteps of our predecessors 80 years ago."

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke of the past as well as the future while addressing parliamentarians in a Bundestag speech commemorating the end of World War II on Thursday.

Steinmeier began by describing in vivid terms the horrific state the country found itself in that day, painting a truly apocalyptic picture of death and destruction while acknowledging the immense sacrifices made by the United States, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in freeing Germany and Europe from the scourge of fascism.

Throughout the speech, he returned to the ties between past, present and future, saying Germany had a special responsibility moving forward exactly because of the lessons it had been forced to come to grips with.

"This is why we oppose the lies that Russia is telling today, and we will oppose them when they are repeated tomorrow," he said.l

Of Russia's own Victory Day military parade set for Friday in Moscow, Steinmeier said, "Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine has nothing to do with the fight against Nazi tyranny."

Steinmeier added that, "to leave Ukraine defenseless would be to abandon the lessons of May 8," and spoke of German dismay at Russia's behavior, "The liberators of Auschwitz have become new aggressors."

He also addressed the "shock" of watching the United States under President Donald Trump turn its back on the postwar order that brought peace and prosperity to Western Europe, using Washington's turn toward authoritarian behavior to speak of that shift in a wider context.  

Steinmeier underscored his words by saying, "Russia's war of aggression and America's abandonment of values symbolize no less than dual epochal break — marking the end of the 20th century."

He then turned to those at home who bemoan Germany's struggle to come to grips with its past as a "cult of shame." He did so without mentioning the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party by name but made clear he was referring to it by using their own words to describe the situation.

Steinmeier expressed his "astonishment over the tenacity with which some demand we 'draw a line' under our history and our responsibility ... What does that actually mean? Does that mean we should forget what we know?"

"What will that bring us?" he continued. "Do we want to become a nation that only remembers its supposedly glorious past and downplays or entirely denies the darkest chapters of its history?" 

Throughout his speech, Steinmeier also spoke of the miracle of forgiveness and reconciliation that he has experienced in France, Israel, Poland — emotionally pointing out that none of those things would have ever seemed possible amid the death and destruction the country awoke to on May 8, 1945.

The president said a failure to face up to Germany's past, to forget the painful lessons the country — at times begrudgingly — learned would be both "cowardly and wrong."

Concluding his remarks, he urged those present to have faith in the country and in themselves before ending with the words of philosopher Jürgen Habermas, saying, "We are all children of the 8th of May. Let us protect our freedom! Let us protect our democracy!" 

As Europe marks VE day, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned against complacency. "The idea that this was all just history and it doesn't matter now somehow, is completely wrong," he said, "Those values of freedom and democracy matter today."

The UK will mark the occasion with services at Westminster Abbey — attended by King Charles III and his wife Camilla — to be followed by a minute of silence across the kingdom. A major concert at Horse Guards Parade will be staged for 10,000 members of the public later in the evening. 

Ally France will also mark the day with President Emmanuel Macron attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Paris' Arc de Triomphe.

Despite widespread acknowledgement across Europe that May 8 is a day to celebrate an unprecedented phase of peace and freedom across the continent, today's reality continues to cast a long shadow of gloom.

As Russia's relentless assault on Ukraine drags well into its fourth year and Europe is forced to massively boost defense spending in the face of Moscow's aggression, European leaders continue to sound the alarm. 

Among those emphasizing the dire situation is European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who on Wednesday told EU lawmakers: "Once again war has returned to our continent, once again cities are being bombed, civilians attacked, families torn apart. The people of Ukraine are fighting not only for their land, but for freedom, for sovereignty, for democracy, just as our parents and our grandparents once did."

"The task before us today," she said, "is the same as it was then, to honor memory, to protect democracy, to preserve peace."

Germany's new Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday underscored Germany's debt of gratitude to Allied forces as well as the country's responsibility to defend its hard-won freedom in Europe.

Wadephul said, "No day has shaped our history like May 8, 1945," adding that it was the beginning of an "unprecedented phase of peace" in Europe.

While acknowledging that freedom was slow coming for many in Europe, Wadephul said, "Our freedom was the result of the enormous sacrifices of the Allied forces. For that, we are forever grateful."

Wadephul went on to say, "the historic responsibility for this betrayal of civilization and the memory of the millions of victims of the Second World War unleashed by Nazi Germany make it our responsibility to resolutely defend peace and freedom in Europe today."

Not all Germans are in agreement about how much to recall the history of Nazi crimes before and during World War II.

That division can clearly be seen in the below infographic, with supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party being much more likely to say that those crimes are commemorated too much, while supporters of the Left Party are more likely to say more needs to be done.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to the Kremlin Thursday ahead of Friday's massive military parade celebrating the end of World War II, which Russia celebrates on May 9. The two men publicly affirmed their partnership, with Putin calling Xi his "dear friend."
 
Putin repeated his claim that the West was somehow distorting history and said Russia and China would defend the "historical truth."

Putin, who has sought to justify his illegal war of aggression in neighboring Ukraine by claiming Moscow is battling the forces of neo-Nazism, said: "Together with our Chinese friends we will stand guard for historical truth, protect the memory of events of the war years and counter manifestations of neo-Nazism and militarism."

China has aided Russia's war effort and refrained from using its influence in Moscow to end the conflict, which started with a full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, and has seen Moscow occupy large swaths of Ukraine.

The two then framed a larger picture, with Putin saying, "We are developing our ties for the benefit of the peoples of both countries and are not opposed to anyone."

Xi, who said China-Russia relations were becoming more confident, stable and resilient in this new era, added, "in the face of the international countercurrent of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying China will work with Russia to shoulder the special responsibilities of major world powers."

World War II claimed tens of millions of lives and devastated countless cities — including in Germany.

Which places still bear witness to the Nazi terror, where are the victims commemorated? Traces of the darkest chapter in German history.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized World War II Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, where Russian leader Vladimir Putin is hosting 20 world leaders for a grand military parade.

"It will be a parade of cynicism. There is just no other way to describe it. A parade of bile and lies," Zelensky said, as his country fends off Russia's invasion, now well into its fourth year.

The Ukrainian leader also used the occasion to call for allies to unite to fight Moscow's aggression. 

"Just as it did 80 years ago, when it finally became clear to everyone: evil cannot be appeased. It must be fought. Together. Resolutely. With force. With pressure," Zelenskyy said in an address.

Zelenskyy delivered a sharp reminder of Ukraine's role in defeating Nazi Germany, saying 8 million Ukrainians died in the war and drew a direct line between that struggle and Ukraine’s current fight against Russia.

If Russia refuses to change, he warned, it too will need "de-Nazification and demilitarization"—a pointed echo of language Russian President Vladimir Putin uses to justify his war on Ukraine.

Ukraine has long accused Moscow of hijacking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany for political gain. 

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine marks this day together with the rest of the world, despite the fact that "evil repeated itself" three years ago.

The president and his wife Olena Zelenska also marked Victory in Europe Day by laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Russia is preparing a major military parade for May 9, its annual Victory Day celebration. The Soviet Union suffered an estimated 27 million deaths during the war.

Follow our coverage for the latest from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As a US soldier, George Leitmann, now 99, helped liberate Germany from National Socialism.

Eighty years after World War Two ended, he is sounding a warning against the return of fascism.

Read George's full story and warning here.

May 8 marks a solemn day in Europe as the continent commemorates the end of World War II, a war that was triggered by Nazi Germany and resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people.

That number includes more than 6 million Jews from across Europe who were murdered by the Nazi regime.

This year's commemoration marks 80 years since Germany surrendered to the Allies and comes amid warnings of a rise in antisemitism, racism and the far right in general across Europe.

Follow DW's blog for the latest on Thursday ceremonies from Berlin, London and Paris.