ARLINGTON, Va. — The Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and US officials joined veterans and other members of the public Monday to commemorate Elbe Day with a wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
On April 25, 1945 Soviet and US troops converged at the Elbe river near Torgau in Germany. The meeting marked the splitting in two of Germany by Allied forces and an important step towards the end of World War II. The historic event is celebrated each year as a tribute to the sacrifices made by both countries.
Elbe Day also represents a moment of camaraderie and shared excitement between two nations that have often had tense relations. Officials at the wreath laying acknowledged existing tensions but put aside their differences on this day of remembrance, just as American and Soviet troops did 71 years ago.
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