Moscow expects India’s Modi at Victory Day celebrations – diplomat
Moscow is expecting to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an honored guest at the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said.
Russia has invited leaders of several “friendly nations” to attend this year’s Victory Day parade on May 9, when the country commemorates the Soviet Union’s defeat of fascism. In February, an Indian defense source told TASS that Modi’s presence at the event was “being planned.”
Details of the Indian leader’s visit are still being finalized, Rudenko told TASS on Tuesday. “It’s being worked on, he should be there this year,” the diplomat said.
New Delhi and Moscow have also reportedly discussed the possible participation of an Indian Armed Forces contingent in the parade on Red Square, according to earlier reports by the agency, though no official announcement has been made.
In February, Russia and India signed a defense logistics pact, strengthening coordination between the two BRICS nations’ militaries. The agreement is intended to facilitate joint military exercises, disaster relief efforts, and other forms of cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will attend the celebrations in Moscow as part of a full state visit. Xi has also invited Putin to take part in China’s commemorations of victory over imperial Japan in September.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has also accepted Russia’s invitation to the May 9 event, according to the Russian ambassador to Brazil, Aleksey Labetsky. Other leaders reportedly planning to attend this year’s anniversary celebrations in Moscow include Vietnamese President To Lam, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, and Burkina Faso’s interim leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore.
