Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (right) being greeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) in Moscow. File photo.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, will visit Russia on May 9, the day of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazism in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945.)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that “We appreciate that President Maduro will accompany us on Victory Day,” on Saturday, April 12, during a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil on the sidelines of the Antalya diplomatic forum.
In March, during a video conversation, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited his Venezuelan counterpart to Moscow for the commemoration of this historic day.
“I would be delighted to see him in Moscow at the May 9 celebrations on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War,” the Russian president said.
On May 9, a victory parade will be held in Moscow’s Red Square. Several heads of state and official representatives of governments of countries of the world have been invited to the event.
Among those expected to attend the commemoration are the presidents of China, Xi Jinping, of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of Serbia, Aleksandar VuÄŤić, of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, of Cuba, Miguel DĂaz-Canel, and the prime ministers of India, Narendra Modi and of Slovakia, Robert Fico.
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The great historical role played by the Soviet Union in the victory over the fascists cost it inconceivable losses. Approximately 27 million Soviet people died in the war and every family in the USSR faced enormous suffering.
The role of Soviet citizens in the victory over Nazism cannot be underestimated. Among the events that marked the turning points in World War II are the battle of Stalingrad, the Moscow counter offensive, the battle of Kursk, the breaking of the siege of Leningrad, the liberation of Odessa, the liberation of the Baltics as well as the entirety of eastern Europe.
On May 2, 1945, the Soviet Red Army completely seized control of Berlin as part of its Berlin offensive. On May 8, 1945, representatives of the German high command signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender, effectively ending World War II.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
