WARSAW (Sputnik) — It is momentous for Poland that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will skip the May 9 celebrations, marking the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, in Russia’s capital Moscow, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said Friday.
Merkel will not be in Moscow for the parade but will visit Russia on May 10 to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It is important for us that she [Merkel] is not going to take part in the celebrations near the Kremlin walls,” Komorowski told TVN24.
“The same troops that had occupied Crimea and intervened in Ukraine," he emphasized.
In March, Merkel, as well as some other European leaders, rejected an invitation to participate in Victory Day celebrations on Moscow's Red Square. The move reflects recent tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine crisis.
Western powers accuse Moscow of "annexing" Crimea and being directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict between government forces and independence supporters. Russia has consistently refuted the claims, advocating instead a speedy settlement of the crisis and cessation of hostilities in the region.
Despite any existing political disagreements, the heads of 27 states and governments are expected to be present at the large-scale Victory Day parade in the Russian capital on May 9, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.
