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Russia has released its list of invited nations for its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany. The event, a significant fixture in Russia’s political calendar, will take place in Red Square on May 9.
Amid Israel’s ongoing efforts to maintain ties with Moscow, Israel has been invited to attend, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to participate. Instead, Israel will be represented by its ambassador to Russia, Simona Halperin.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin
(Photo: Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
In comments to Russian media, Halperin emphasized Israel’s historical stance, saying, "Historical facts do not change due to geopolitical or other circumstances. In 2017, the Israeli Knesset decided that May 9 would be recognized as Victory Day."
In contrast, Russia has opted to exclude a long list of nations it deems "unfriendly," withholding invitations from leaders of Germany, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, France, Czechia and Estonia. Leaders from Australia, Andorra, the United Kingdom, San Marino, Monaco, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Japan were also not invited.
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the policy, saying, "We will not invite leaders of unfriendly states." U.S. President Donald Trump also did not receive an invitation, though the Kremlin recently extended a separate invitation for a future visit to Russia.
Among those invited and confirmed to attend are Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. Other invitees, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, have yet to confirm their attendance.
Additional leaders invited include Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.
Invitations were also extended to leaders of Vietnam, Mongolia and Laos. Notably absent from the list was Iran, despite its growing alliance with Moscow amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.