West has spurned Putin's peace gesture

UK, France, US failed to act decently in rejecting Russia's invitation to celebrate victory over Nazis

With a glorious military parade and other emotional arrangements being staged recently, Moscow and the whole of Russia have been filled with sober respect and remembrance for those heroes sacrificed in the 1941-45 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.

Buried in such excitement, I must say the Victory Day celebration was a resounding success.

Some may not agree on that conclusion. They may argue that's because heavyweight politicians such as US President Barack Obama and the leaders of Russia's key World War II allies, the United Kingdom and France, skipped the Red Square parade on May 9, Victory Day. Some media have even claimed that if they didn't appear, Red Square would be empty.

It was reported that the Kremlin had sent out more than 60 invitations and fewer than 30 invitees turned up. Some media even say Chinese President Xi Jinping found himself as the star guest due to the absence of leaders from the West.

First of all, Xi did not mean to be such a star on this occasion. Instead, going from his writing published in the Russian media and judging from his agenda, Xi was there to sincerely remember those dead, the veterans and their families, and to show respect for history and remind the world not to make that mistake again.

Like President Vladimir Putin, Xi also looked forward to the appearance of global leaders at this significant moment, the 70th anniversary of defeating the German fascist aggression, in which 70 percent of Russian families have said they have a close family member who was killed or went missing during the war, according to The Guardian newspaper.

But Western leaders shunned the events. They have extended their sanctions against Russia because of the Ukraine crisis to boycotting participation in this celebration. This is a continuation of conflict after the West removing Moscow from G8 bloc shortly after the Ukraine crisis began.

Sources say the Kremlin sent invitations to Washington, London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Tokyo. Following in the steps of Washington, none responded to the Kremlin satisfactorily, though Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, flew to Moscow on May 10 to lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior and meet Putin.

Germany should be respected for doing so, at least for its gesture of fully remembering history, even if Merkel arrived one day later. It is still uncertain how Japan will respond when the Chinese people celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Japanese fascism in coming months.

However, the collective absence of the West's leaders in marking Russia's massive sacrifices in WWII was wrong.

First of all, they should not link the status quo of their relationship with Russia with the remembrance of the anti-fascism victory. Like the example set by Beijing and Moscow, the United States, France and the United Kingdom, key players in the United Nations, should join the call to promote world peace, instead of stepping away.

As global leaders, they should be visionary and act in a decent way. Otherwise, they are not worth their salt.

What's more, if they had accepted the invitations and shown up in Red Square, this may have been a chance for them to reach more compromises with Moscow, which may have led to success in solving current conflicts.

In fairness, they should listen to what Putin said on May 9. He thanked the allies for their contribution during the Great Patriotic War. But he also criticized the US for its efforts to make the world unipolar.

But they misused their chance for an exchange in person.

Much worse, the West's leaders may not have anticipated before their boycott of the Red Square parade that it would trigger discontent among young Russians.

On May 7, when the final rehearsal for the parade was held in Moscow, I asked 10 young Russians for their opinions of the West's absence. Most said it was unacceptable, and they used words such as "disappointing" and "mean" because of the absence at the parade in Red Square on May 9.

They said the European and American leaders linked the participation with their sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, which was not right and ridiculous.

But the young Russians praised Xi Jinping for his presence in Moscow, saying China and Russia are determined to promote world peace by showing respect and paying tribute to those peace-loving people who fought against the fascist aggression of Japan, Germany and Italy.

Western politicians should listen to the young people. Otherwise, they are in danger of losing them.

The author is China Daily chief correspondent in Brussels. Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn