Elbe Day in Moscow that No Longer Exists for Washington

April 25, 2024 marks the 79th anniversary of Elbe Day, when near the German town of Torgau, a US Army reconnaissance platoon met its comrades from a rifle regiment of the Soviet Union’s First Ukrainian Front Army on a dilapidated bridge over the Elbe River.

Every year since then until 2022, veterans, along with representatives of official institutions and public opinion, have gathered in Washington, DC, and Moscow to commemorate this decisive event in the final phase of Allied military activity in Europe and in the history of World War II. On April 25, 1945, it became clear that Nazi Germany had been finally defeated and would no longer be able to regroup or mobilize its remaining forces for a counterattack. In fact, the Germans had no choice but to lay down their arms and surrender.

For entire decades, first in the Soviet Union and then in the Russian Federation, as well as in the USA, including the darkest years of the Cold War, Elbe Day was celebrated as one of the most important events in the history of the two nations. In 2020, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement emphasizing that “the historic meeting of American and Soviet troops shaking hands on a damaged bridge over the Elbe River announced the decisive defeat of the Nazi regime.”

The two leaders said the Elbe meeting “represented the culmination of a tremendous effort on the part of numerous nations and peoples united under the 1942 United Nations Declaration.” This common struggle required enormous sacrifices on the part of millions of soldiers, sailors, and citizens in various theaters of war. “We recognize,” Trump and Putin said at the time, “the contribution of millions of men and women behind the lines who produced large quantities of military equipment for use around the world. Workers and manufacturers played a crucial role in providing the Allied forces with the tools they needed to win.”

On this occasion, Trump and Putin also emphasized that the Elba Spirit is an example of how our countries can set aside differences, build mutual trust, and cooperate to achieve even greater goals. Today, as we work to address the most important challenges of the 21st century, we pay tribute to the valor and courage of all those who fought together to defeat fascism. Their heroic feat will never be forgotten.”

In 2022, after the start of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Washington decided to bury the Elba Spirit, and the text of the joint statement between Trump and Putin was even removed from the White House archives.

According to Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov, “also in 2024, for the third year in a row, US authorities have categorically prohibited Russian diplomats from laying flowers at the monument at Arlington National Military Cemetery commemorating the Link-Up on the Elbe.”

A bronze monument depicting American and Soviet soldiers shaking hands on a bridge over the Elbe River was erected in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic event.

“I hope that sooner or later Washington will remember the precepts of the heroic generation and realize the importance of the Elba Spirit as the basis for equal and mutually beneficial relations between the USA and Russia,” the Russian diplomat stressed.

Meanwhile, representatives of Russian and American public opinion gathered in Moscow – as they had done for decades – to breathe together the spirit of brotherhood born of their joint struggle against the plague of Nazi fascism. “The Elba Spirit is an example of how our countries can set aside differences, build trust, and cooperate to achieve a great goal,” said Edward Lozansky, one of the organizers of the traditional meeting in Moscow. As we work today to address the most important challenges of the 21st century, we pay tribute to the valor and courage of all those who fought together to defeat Nazi fascism. Their heroic feat will never be forgotten.”