MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is not frustrated about the fact that a number of Western leaders did not come to Moscow on May 9 to take part in celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of victory over the Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Barack Obama, European Council President Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron have declined Moscow's invitation to attend the Victory Day parade.
"You know what, I am glad that the world is celebrating the Day of Victory over Nazism, and it seems to me that wherever people do it, if they are sincere about it – that is good," the Russian president said Saturday in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel, answering the question whether Western leaders' decision not to attend the celebrations in Moscow upset him.
On Saturday, Moscow held its largest-ever military parade to honour the memory of those who fought in the war against fascism.
Heads of nearly 30 foreign states and governments, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, participated in the celebrations.
