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75TH ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY OVER NAZI GERMANY

Invitations to Victory parade for non-CIS leaders to be reviewed separately — Kremlin

The spokesman explained that there is not much time left to agree schedules of world leaders

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, May 28. /TASS/. The issue of invitations to the Victory parade in Moscow on June 24 for leaders of countries that do not represent the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will be addressed separately, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

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Russia to hold Victory Day Parade on June 24 — Putin

"We will work with each country individually [on the issue of inviting leaders to the Victory parade]," he noted, underlining that so far the invitations are resent to CIS state leaders. Peskov explained that there is not much time left to agree schedules of world leaders.

As for an invitation for French President Emmanuel Macron, the Kremlin representative confirmed that there were contacts with the French side. "For now, we are coming from the premise of CIS state leaders, the rest is situational and is worked through as we go," Peskov said.

Many world leaders and heads of international organizations were initially invited to attend the traditional military parade in Moscow on May 9 that this year marks the 75th anniversary of victory in World War II. The event had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced at a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the Victory parade will take place on June 24 and ordered to launch preparations to hold it. He explained that he had chosen the date since the legendary, historic parade of victors was held on June 24, 1945, when the soldiers who had fought for Moscow and Stalingrad, defended Leningrad, liberated Europe and stormed Berlin marched on Red Square.

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