Published 17:23 IST, November 9th 2019
Donald Trump may attend Russia's Victory Day military parade in 2020
US President Donald Trump has said that he is likely to consider accepting Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to attend Russia's Victory Day parade.
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US President Donald Trump said that he is likely to consider accepting Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to attend Russia's Victory Day parade in 2020. He said that he was unsure of his participation due to its timing. He added the event is in the middle of the election campaign season and will certainly give a think about it, according to the reports on November 8.
Trump said that he appreciated the Russian President's invitation and added that it is a grand event celebrating the end of the war. Trump said that he would love to go if he could but showed concerns that the event will fall in the middle of the political season.
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Event to mark 75th anniversary of the allied victory
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that in June President Putin had invited Trump to attend the Victory Day military parade in Moscow. The 2020 events will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush attended the Red Square Parade in 1995 and 2005 respectively. President Barack Obama refused to attend the 70th anniversary in 2015 due to Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
With the escalating tensions between both the nations, it would be really awkward for the US President to attend the military parade in Moscow.
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Parade stopped after the collapse of Soviet era
The victory parade is a remnant of the Soviet era with Joseph Stalin presiding over the first such celebration in 1945.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the parade stopped taking place for several years until President Boris Yeltsin revived the historic tradition in 1995. This year's parade included about 13000 Russian soldiers and 130 pieces of military equipment including tanks.No major foreign leaders were present at this year's ceremonies.
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14:38 IST, November 9th 2019