Putin, in swipe at US, decries 'unipolar world' at Victory Day parade

From left: Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping walk before the Victory Parade marking the 70th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, in Red Square, Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) (The Associated Press)

Georgy Shirokov, 91, Russian veteran of WWII and former sailor of the Baltic Fleet walks in Red Square before the Victory Parade, celebrating 70 years after WWII, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) (The Associated Press)

Georgy Shirokov, 91, a Russian veteran of WWII and former sailor of the Baltic Fleet walks in Red Square before the Victory Parade, celebrating 70 years after WWII, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) (The Associated Press)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his address to the annual Victory Day parade in Red Square, has said basic principles of international cooperation are increasingly being ignored — an apparent swipe at the United States.

The tightly scripted parade marks the surrender of Nazi Germany and the Red Army's key role in the defeat. Victory Day is Russia's most important secular holiday, both commemorating the Soviet Union's huge suffering in the war and highlighting Russia's portrayal of itself as a force for peace and security.

In his short speech on Saturday, Putin said that despite the importance of international cooperation, "in the past decades we have seen attempts to create a unipolar world," a phrase used by Russia to criticize the United States' purported aim to dominate world affairs.