Putin's Victory Day Parade Fails to Mask Russia's Isolation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Western "arrogance" during a Victory Day parade in Moscow, while a key mercenary leader warned Russian troops could be ill-prepared for a Ukrainian military offensive. The Pentagon announced a $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine, including air defense systems and 155mm artillery rounds. Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin's regular troops of fleeing the fighting and warned that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will begin soon "on the ground, not on TV." UN Secretary-General António Guterres said peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are currently impossible.