Schroeder, Putin see end of World War II as liberation for Germany
6/5/2005 11:32
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder said in a German newspaper interview released yesterday that the end
of World War II on May 8 was "a day of liberation" for Germany.
Putin
admitted German civilians suffered greatly during the war but stressed that it
was not the Soviet Union' fault.
"The Soviet Union or the Red Army can't be
blamed for that," Putin told popular German tabloid Bild, adding that "it wasn't
the Soviet Union that started the war."
"Russia, along with allies of
anti-Hitler-coalition, has liberated Germany and Europe from the rule of Nazi
regime. Russian people had to pay enormous sacrifices," said Schroeder.
Putin
denied the Soviet Union was to blame for Germany's post- war division. Soviet
leaders had made efforts in all allied conferences "to preserve the integrity
and unity of Germany, but some of our allies unfortunately took the opposite
position."
This weekend, Schroeder will go to Moscow and attend ceremonies
marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
Xinhua
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