As Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to demonstrate his military might in Moscow on World War II Victory Day, Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday urged the European Union not to be intimidated by the Kremlin leader.

Prime Ministers Olaf Scholz and Mark Rutte with President Emmanuel MacronPhoto: Darko Bandich / AP – The Associated Press / Profimedia

“2,200 kilometers northeast of here, [președintele Vladimir Putin] is marching today with its soldiers, tanks and missiles,” Scholz said in a speech delivered to the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

“We should not be afraid of such power games! We must remain resolute in our efforts to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary!”, he urged the MEPs.

His comments also came a day after the European Commission announced it had finalized a new package of sanctions against Russia, the 11th since its invasion of Ukraine, and handed the document to member states for consultation and negotiations.

What Vladimir Putin said on Victory Day

While there were fears that last week’s drone attack on the Kremlin was orchestrated by Russia to give Putin an excuse to declare an escalation of the war on May 9, his speech today was in line with his earlier claims of “special military operations” and a “war against the collective West.”

“A real war has begun against our homeland. We have rejected international terrorism, we will protect the people of Donbas, we will ensure our security,” Putin said in his speech, repeating the same messages sent during the nearly 15-month war.

He again accused “Western globalist elites” of “Russophobia and aggressive nationalism,” and the Ukrainian people became “hostages of a coup d’état” and “ambitions of the West.”

“Here, on Red Square, we remember our soldiers, the period 1941-1945, the then army and all those who fought. We honor everyone who fights for Russia. Our ancestors showed us that there is nothing stronger than our love for Russia and for victory,” he added.

But despite the show of strength that Scholz referred to, this year’s military parade in Moscow was more marked by the weakness of the Russian army during the parade it prepared.

Follow the latest events of the 440th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.