Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received an official invitation to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations in May, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Wednesday.

“Our Prime Minister has received an invitation for the participation in the Victory Day celebrations. We will be announcing our participation at the appropriate time,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly briefing.

Earlier, Russian media reported that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh may attend the event. Russia’s state-run agency, TASS, cited Indian government sources suggesting Singh’s presence at the parade in Moscow is likely.

The upcoming Victory Day parade, set to take place on Red Square, will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko mentioned that preparations are underway for Modi’s possible participation in the May 9 event.

Reports also suggest that a ceremonial Indian armed forces detachment may take part in the parade.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that numerous foreign leaders have been invited to attend, not limited to members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

President Vladimir Putin had also extended an invitation to Modi back in 2020 for the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day celebrations.

In recent remarks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized the strong diplomatic dialogue between India and Russia, stating that both nations share close or coinciding views on global multipolarity. He noted that preparations for Putin’s upcoming visit to India are underway.

“Our countries have a long-standing relationship based on mutual respect. Prime Minister Modi’s first bilateral visit post-re-election was to Russia. Now it is President Putin’s turn,” Lavrov stated during the ‘Russia and India: Towards a New Agenda for Bilateral Relations’ conference.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov also confirmed that President Putin is expected to visit India in early 2025, continuing the tradition of annual summits between the two nations.

Putin’s last visit to India was in December 2021 for the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit. Prime Minister Modi visited Russia twice in 2024, for the 22nd Russia-India Summit in July and the BRICS Summit in Kazan in October.