“Do not repeat the mistakes of World War II.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called on international allies to act decisively and resist Russian aggression.

Remembering the lessons of history

Sybiha recalled that on 1 September 1939, Hitler attacked Poland, soon joined by Stalin, initiating the bloodiest war in history.

“Today it is extremely important to remember what led to that day: weakness and naive faith that territorial concessions would ‘appease’ the aggressor,” the Ukrainian foreign minister noted.

Responsibility for the World War II disaster

The minister emphasized that the Nazi Third Reich bears full responsibility for the war, but there were also those who “allowed this evil to grow stronger—avoiding difficult decisions and favoring weakness over strength.”

According to Sybiha, the best way to honor the memory of tens of millions of victims is not to repeat the same mistakes today.

Allies’ unity and support for Ukraine

Sybiga stressed that the unity of allies, pressure on the Russian aggressor, and consistent support for Ukraine are critically important for Europe’s security and long-term peace.

“Strength and determination today are the guarantee of future security and peace in Europe,” he added.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump proposed that Ukraine consider territorial concessions to Russia as part of ending the war. His proposal involved Ukraine relinquishing control over Donetsk Oblast to Russia, in exchange for Russia agreeing to freeze the front lines and halt further advances. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly rejected any proposal to cede Ukrainian land to Russia. He emphasized Ukraine’s sovereignty and constitutional prohibition on surrendering territory to the occupier. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China to attend next week’s military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Beijing announced on 28 August. The visit marks Kim’s first trip to China in more than six years.

Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei confirmed that 26 world leaders will join Chinese President Xi Jinping at the September 3 event in Beijing, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un among the key attendees.

“On the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, 26 foreign leaders will attend the commemorative activities for the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the end of World War II,” Hong said during a briefing in Beijing.

The parade will feature thousands of soldiers marching through Tiananmen Square alongside displays of the People’s Liberation Army’s latest military hardware. Kim’s attendance represents a significant upgrade from North Korea’s previous participation – the country sent senior official Choe Ryong-hae to China’s last Victory Day parade a decade ago.

The gathering will provide a rare opportunity for Xi and Kim to meet in person for the first time since 2019, when Kim visited Beijing and Xi traveled to Pyongyang. The timing comes as traditionally strong China-North Korea ties have shown signs of strain, with analysts noting Pyongyang’s growing strategic alignment with Moscow.

“China and North Korea are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers,” Hong told reporters. “It is the firm position of the [Communist Party] and government to maintain, consolidate and develop the traditional friendship between China and North Korea.”

Hong added that Beijing was willing to work with Pyongyang to “deepen exchanges and cooperation” and “open a new chapter” in bilateral relations. “The world is fraught with turbulence and instability, and the peace deficit continues to grow,” he said. “Safeguarding world peace remains an uphill battle.”

North Korea has moved closer to Russia in recent years, with a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty taking effect in December that includes a mutual defense pact. The agreement was signed during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June last year. North Korea has also deployed troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

The Beijing parade will mark the first time Kim, Putin and Xi appear together in public, presenting what observers see as a show of solidarity against US pressure. Western countries have expressed concerns about the deepening strategic alignment between the three nations.

Among European leaders, only Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will attend. Both previously participated in Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow in May, which Xi attended but Kim did not.

Other confirmed attendees include leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and presidents from all five Central Asian countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the parade but will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in nearby Tianjin on Sunday and Monday – his first China visit in seven years.

“The collective rise of the Global South is fundamentally reshaping the world landscape,” Hong said. “It is no longer a silent majority or a vast expanse of underdevelopment, but now represents an awakened new force and fresh hope for change in this once-in-a-century transformation.”

Ukrainian intelligence estimates that North Korea has sent 20,000 to 30,000 troops to assist Russia, though Western diplomats suggest the actual number may be smaller. Kyiv has repeatedly accused China of supplying Russia with defense components while North Korea has become Moscow’s primary source of artillery shells and ballistic missiles.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed legislation designating July 11 as the National Day of Remembrance for Poles who were victims of Volyn massacres, the Polish outlet RMF24 reported on July 2.

The law passed both houses of Poland's parliament with reportedly near-unanimous support. Lawmakers said victims of the massacres deserve a permanent place in the nation's collective memory.

The law states that from 1939 to 1946, members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), and other nationalist groups carried out mass killings of Polish civilians in the Volyn region, now part of modern-day Ukraine.

The Volyn massacres remain a deeply sensitive and divisive issue in Polish-Ukrainian relations. In April, a team of Polish and Ukrainian researchers resumed the first exhumation in western Ukraine since 2017 — a symbolic breakthrough following years of tension. The moratorium had been imposed by Ukraine after a wave of vandalism targeting Ukrainian memorials in Poland.

The excavation began at the destroyed village of Puzhnyky in Ternopil Oblast, where UPA fighters are believed to have killed between 50 and 120 Poles in February 1945.

In recent months, the Polish and Ukrainian governments have made efforts to resolve the issue of the Volyn exhumations, with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk announcing a "breakthrough" in January.

Last year Polish officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz and former Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski, warned that Ukraine's progress toward EU accession could be blocked unless Kyiv fully addresses the legacy of the Volyn massacre and allows further exhumations of Polish victims.

Poland's Institute of National Remembrance estimates that approximately 100,000 Poles were killed during the Volyn massacres. Ukrainian historians argue that thousands of Ukrainians were also killed in retaliatory actions and insist that the conflict be viewed as mutual ethnic violence rather than genocide.

In 2016, the Polish Parliament officially recognized the events as genocide. Ukrainian and many Western scholars, however, classify them as ethnic cleansing, and debate continues over both the terminology and historical responsibility.

Despite close cooperation in defense and diplomacy since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the legacy of Volyn remains a potential stumbling block in Ukraine's integration with Europe.

July 11 will now be commemorated annually in Poland.

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U.S. President Donald Trump on June 12 praised Russia's role in World War II, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin is "confused" why everyone "hates" Moscow.

Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump recounted a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron about World War II commemorations.

"I said, 'You're celebrating our victory?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, "Your victory?'" Trump said.

"And then I spoke to President Putin at the time. He lost 51 million people. He (sic!) fought with us in World War II. Russia did fight. It's interesting, isn't it? It fought with us in World War II, and everyone hates it.

"And now everybody hates Russia and loves Germany and Japan. It's a strange world."

Trump said Putin had expressed confusion over the West's treatment of Russia post-war, citing the Soviet Union's wartime alliance with the U.S. and U.K.

"We were your ally," Putin allegedly told Trump. "Now everybody hates Russia."

Trump's remarks align with a Kremlin propaganda narrative that downplays the Soviet Union's World War II non-Russian casualties. According to Ukraine's Institute of National Remembrance, Ukraine alone lost more than 10 million people during the war and suffered immense destruction on its territory — a fact often overlooked in Kremlin-led historical revisionism.

Russia has frequently weaponized its version of World War II history to justify present-day aggression. The Kremlin has invoked anti-Nazi rhetoric and Soviet-era heroism to rationalize its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022 — a war that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.

Trump has positioned himself as the only leader capable of ending the Russia-Ukraine war, but his reluctance to apply real pressure on Moscow has left Kyiv and its allies doubtful. The U.S. president has softened his tone on Russia while repeatedly threatening sanctions over its attacks on Ukraine — yet no new measures have been imposed.

Talking at the press conference about the war and the stalled peace efforts, Trump said he was "disappointed" with both Russia and Ukraine, adding that "deals could have been made."

Trump has previously said that he refrained from imposing additional sanctions in hopes of securing a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.

"If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that," he said on May 28, adding that a decision would come "in about two weeks."

Despite failed peace efforts in Istanbul and Russia's continued refusal to agree to a ceasefire, Trump reportedly asked Senate Republicans to delay voting on a bipartisan sanctions bill that would impose a 500% tariff on imports from countries buying Russian oil.

The legislation, introduced in April, has broad bipartisan support, including backing from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Meanwhile, Russia continues its offensive in Ukraine and has shown no signs of seeking peace. It continues escalating its attacks on Ukrainian cities, causing numerous civilian casualties.

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