Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that his country will “do everything to strengthen global security.
In his speech at the parade marking the 68th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Putin laid a heavy emphasis on WWII as an eternal reminder of the horrors of war, and stressed Russia’s role in preserving peace and preventing new wars.
“We remember what the tragedy of war means, and we will do everything, everything that we can to ensure that no one ever dares unleash another one, to ensure that no one threatens our children, our home, our land,” Putin said, as cited by RIA Novosti.
May 9 is celebrated as Victory Day in Russia and many of the former Soviet Union states.
Victory in May 1945 was, Putin said, “an alarm bell that sounds the confirmation of life without war.”
His speech stressed that unity among the different peoples and ethnicities within Russia was bound up with values such as patriotism, family, and loyalty to their roots and shared history.
“It was for these values that our people so valiantly fought” Putin said.