US flag. File photoWASHINGTON, Apr 25The refusal of the US authorities to hold an annual ceremony in Washington in honor of the anniversary of the meeting on the Elbe because of the events in Ukraine is a shame and regrettable, World War II veteran Frank Cohn told RIA Novosti. «All I can say is that the whole the situation is regrettable, and it is a shame that we are not celebrating one of the most important events of my generation and subsequent generations — the fact that we were friends and allies in World War II,» a 96-year-old American veteran told RIA Novosti. Soviet and American The troops completing the defeat of Nazi Germany met on the banks of the Elbe River on April 25, 1945. This event is considered the highest point in the allied relations of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Sunday that US authorities have canceled a solemn ceremony that was held annually at the Spirit of the Elbe memorial at Arlington Cemetery near Washington with the participation of Russian diplomats, their colleagues from the CIS countries, World War II veterans and American officials. Kon said the conflict in Ukraine is a «brutal and stark reminder» of what happened in World War II, as well as evidence that the US and Russia are now on opposite sides of the conflict. «This should never have happened. We have so many common goals in this world — fighting the coronavirus, global warming, strengthening the world economy and the economy of each of our countries. Why start a war instead? I'm very sad about this,» he laments veteran. He hopes that Moscow and Washington will not allow the situation to escalate further, but fears that the new Cold War may be more protracted than the previous one. «I will always remember my meeting with the Russians on the Elbe. It took me years to realize that the Russians then noted on the Elbe that they survived, they went this way to the Elbe, and when they saw us, soldiers in American uniforms, for them it meant that there were no more Germans ahead, «recalls the former military man, then at the age of 19 for the first time tasted Russian vodka. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24th. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and On March 25, they completed the main tasks of the first stage — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass. What will the blockade of Russia lead to
