Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday voiced confidence in a victory in Ukraine as he oversaw a military parade on Red Square commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The parade, which was scaled down for the first time in nearly two decades, did not include heavy weapons, with officials citing the 'current operational situation' and the threat of Ukrainian attacks.
Putin hailed Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, declaring that they 'face an aggressive force that is armed and supported by the entire bloc of NATO,' and are fighting for a 'just cause.'
Speaking at the parade, Putin said, 'Victory has always been and will be ours,' and praised the troops for their 'moral strength, courage and valor.'
The parade featured troops from North Korea, a tribute to Pyongyang that sent its soldiers to fight alongside Moscow forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
The US-brokered three-day ceasefire eased concerns about possible Ukrainian attempts to disrupt the festivities, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announcing a truce that was supposed to begin on May 6.
However, neither the ceasefire nor the truce held, with both sides trading blame for continuing attacks.
Putin told reporters after the parade that Trump offered to broker a ceasefire after Russia informed the U.S. and others that it would launch a massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv fraught with collateral damage if Ukraine attempts to disrupt Saturday's festivities.
