Elena Teslova
07 May 2026•Update: 07 May 2026
Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said on Thursday that the president of Laos, the king of Malaysia, and the prime minister of Slovakia will attend the May 9 military parade at Red Square in Moscow marking the Soviet victory in World War II.
Speaking at a briefing in Moscow, Ushakov said Russia did not send out formal invitations this year, unlike last year’s jubilee celebrations, however several foreign leaders have expressed interest in participating.
“Last year, a large group of foreign leaders attended the parade because the celebrations were a jubilee,” he said.
The parade will feature marching units, an air flyover and a speech by President Vladimir Putin.
“Everything will be as usual, except for the display of military equipment (which was cancelled),” he noted.
Ushakov said the visits by foreign dignitaries will also include bilateral meetings and negotiations.
“On the morning of May 9, an official welcoming ceremony for the foreign guests will take place, the president will escort them to Red Square, they will watch the parade and, as is tradition, lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” he said.
The program will continue with an official Kremlin reception hosted by Putin, followed by bilateral meetings with several visiting leaders, including Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Some Slovak media outlets, however, quoted Fico as saying he will not attend the parade itself but will meet Putin and participate in the flower-laying ceremony.
“We plan to hold a number of bilateral meetings with those representatives who will arrive in Moscow,” Ushakov said. “Negotiations will take place with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico.”
Ushakov also said Putin will meet with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday evening for an informal dinner to discuss bilateral ties.
Putin is also scheduled to meet a delegation from Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose representatives traditionally visit Moscow for the commemorations.
The Russian president will additionally hold a separate meeting with Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim.
“I note that the Sultan requested that this meeting take place in a tete-a-tete format, and we, naturally, agreed to this proposal. Our president and the King of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim, met quite recently, on January 26, in St. Petersburg,” Ushakov said.
He added that no international events are scheduled for Putin on May 10.