20 leaders of countries will come to Moscow for the parade on May 9, including Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico and Chinese President Xi Jinping

Zelensky said that Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of representatives of other countries at the parade

More than 20 heads of state and government will attend the victory parade, which will be held in Moscow on May 9. This was announced by President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov. Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico, Chinese President Xi Jinping and several other world leaders have already announced their intentions to come to Russia.

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Lula da Silva, Maduro and Lukashenko will also come to the parade

“We will be glad to see here everyone who is ready to celebrate this grand date with us. It is especially important right now, when Nazism has once again settled in Europe and when in Europe we do not see a unanimous desire to eradicate it immediately,” Peskov said.

In addition to Fico and Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam, Alexander Lukashenko and Nicolas Maduro are expected to attend the parade. Representatives from Burkina Faso, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are also expected.

It is known that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to attend the parade, but he canceled the visit amid the escalation of the conflict with Pakistan. For the same reason, the visit of Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who was supposed to replace Modi, was canceled. Indian media sources report that Deputy Minister Sanjay Seth may come to Moscow instead.

Vučić promised that he would go to Russia even if he was “shackled in chains”

Among those whose visit to Moscow remains in doubt is Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He announced the trip, but on May 3 it became known that due to poor health, Vucic was forced to interrupt his visit to the United States and returned to Belgrade, where he was hospitalized at the Military Medical Academy. The Serbian President has already been discharged from the hospital, but according to cardiologist Dragan Dinčić, it is impossible to say for sure whether he will return to his regular activities in the coming days.

After Vucic announced his plans to attend the parade, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos warned him that the decision could have negative consequences for Serbia's accession to the EU. Despite this, Vučić said that he would go to Russia even if he was “shackled in chains.”

“Serbia is on the European path and will not leave it, I am ready to accept any sanctions. I told Putin that I would come to Russia on May 9, my words are an obligation given to my people, to everyone. <…> I will go unless something happens to me or unless there is some incredible threat directed against Serbia. Serbia will remain on the European path after this, we cannot change this, because this was a promise made before the elections,” said the Serbian President.

In February 2025, Serbia was one of those who supported the Ukrainian resolution in the UN General Assembly. Vučić later stated that this was done "by mistake" and that in fact Serbia should have abstained . “I think Serbia made a mistake today. I apologize to the citizens of Serbia for this and take the blame for this on myself,” he said.

Zelensky said that Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of parade participants

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky commented on the participation of foreign leaders in the parade. He said that Kyiv cannot guarantee their safety during trips to Moscow.

“Our position is very simple for all countries that traveled or are traveling on May 9: we cannot be responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation. They provide you with security, and therefore we will not give you any guarantees. Because we don't know what Russia will do on these dates. For its part, it can take different, let’s say, steps: arson, explosions, and so on. And then blame us,” Zelensky said.

Fico criticized the words of the President of Ukraine, calling them “unheard of.” “We remember very well who fought against Nazism and fascism and why, and who made the decisive sacrifices in this struggle. It is our sacred duty to not only respect this, but also to honor the memory of the soldiers of the Red Army - both at home and wherever tribute is paid to them. Therefore, the Slovaks will go to Moscow and will also represent Western Europe, which, it seems, too quickly forgot about the madness of the war and the victims of World War II,” the Slovak Prime Minister wrote.

Fico is the only leader of an EU member state who plans to attend the parade. He said that some countries of the association do not give permission for his plane to fly to Moscow. Fico was already in Moscow in December - he became the third leader of an EU member state to visit Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Zelensky was also criticized by the French far-right politician Florian Philippot, leader of the Patriots party. Filippo is a former ally of Marine Le Pen and an outspoken supporter of Putin. He wrote that Zelensky has “completely lost control” and is threatening heads of state and government. “He's completely crazy! His crazy course, supported by Macron, the EU and the entire globalist mafia, is getting out of control!” Filippo wrote.
Last year, authorities in at least 24 Russian cities decided to abandon parades on May 9. In addition, in 27 cities the celebration took place without fireworks. Representatives from Belarus, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Laos, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan came to the parade in Moscow in 2024 .

Photo: Russian military personnel march during a parade in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2024. (REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)

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