V-E day turns 80 as Europe reflects on peace

Europe marks 80 years since the end of World War II, not just with remembrance, but with a sober reflection on the fragility of peace in a shifting world.

Eighty years have passed since Victory in Europe Day, when World War II officially ended on the continent. It was once one of the most joyous moments in European memory. But today, the anniversary feels heavier.

While parades march through London, Paris, and towns across the continent, a different feeling lingers, one shaped by unease, not just remembrance.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul reflected on the weight of history. “Hardly any day has shaped our history as much as May 8, 1945,” he said. He honoured the sacrifices of the Allied forces and called it a moment when freedom was reclaimed from tyranny. "Our responsibility today is to resolutely defend peace and freedom in Europe."

That responsibility, once fulfilled by recovery and unity, is now tested by the shifting political landscape of the present.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk put it plainly at a memorial in the Netherlands: “The time of Europe’s carefree comfort, joyous unconcern is over. Today is the time of European mobilization around our fundamental values and our security.” The optimism that once defined post-war Europe has grown more cautious.

Even NATO, the transatlantic alliance born from war’s ashes, is showing internal strain rarely seen in its history. Questions around commitment, cohesion, and purpose continue to ripple across capitals.

Yet the core of today’s ceremonies remains the same: remembrance and resolve.

In London, a service at Westminster Abbey and a concert at Horse Guards Parade gathered thousands. In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron is expected to lead tributes at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe. These are familiar rituals—but they echo into a world less certain than the one imagined in 1945.

Germany’s transformation from wartime aggressor to pillar of European democracy remains central to the day. Chancellor Friedrich Merz will lay a wreath at Berlin’s central memorial to the victims of war and tyranny, reaffirming the country’s modern identity grounded in peace.

Across the Atlantic, U.S. President Donald Trump also marked the anniversary. From Washington, he declared it a day to celebrate victory and honour America’s decisive role in the conflict. “We are going to start celebrating our victories again!” he said, pointing to the Normandy landings as the moment history turned.

And in Russia, the day will pass differently. Moscow will mark its Victory Day on May 9 with a military parade in Red Square. Once part of the Allied triumph, Russia now finds itself commemorating separately, a symbol of how divided the post-war order has become.

In Europe, the hope born on May 8, 1945 is still alive. But the clarity of that victory has faded into complexity. Peace, once assumed, now demands attention. The wreaths laid today carry both memory and warning.

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