UNITED STATES PERSPECTIVE

Washington and American newsrooms read the May 9 parade as a gauge to assess Russia's actual state. The New York Times headlines directly 'A Less Muscular Victory Day Parade Shows Putin's Growing Vulnerability' — a diagnosis that captures the dominant angle. NPR emphasizes the tension between maintaining the patriotic ritual and the inability to deploy the usual equipment. Fox News, for its part, focuses mostly on Putin's statement that the war is 'nearing its end' — a formula Washington monitors in the context of the 72-hour ceasefire announced by Trump. The Pentagon has not commented officially. The presence of North Korean troops is noted but little developed in mainstream American press.