Europe will mark Victory in Europe Day’s 80th anniversary as once unbreakable bonds with the US are under pressure. The anniversary of V-E Day on Thursday will commemorate Germany's surrender on May 8, 1945. Many in Europe are still eternally grateful for the role of American soldiers in the liberation of Europe. But once unbreakable bonds between Europe and the United States are under pressure. The Trump administration has questioned the vestiges of the decades-old alliance and slapped trade sanctions on the 27-nation European Union and the United Kingdom. The wartime allies are now involved in a trade war.