UN Confirms Ban Ki-moon to Attend Victory Day Parade in Moscow

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Moscow to attend May 9 celebrations, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Moscow expected Ban Ki-moon to take part in May 9 celebrations.

"The Secretary General will travel to Moscow in the Russian Federation for the celebration of Victory Day on May 9th," Dujarric said Monday at the UN's briefing.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova will be accompanying the Secretary General, Dujarric said.

Dujarric added that "while in Russia he [Ban Ki-moon] will meet with President Vladimir Putin."

According to Ban's spokesman, UN chief will also stop in Gdansk, Poland, on May 7 and in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 8 to attend the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe there.

This year's Victory Day parade in Moscow – the biggest Russian military parade ever held – will be attended by about 25 foreign leaders, including presidents of the BRICS group of emerging economies, former Soviet republics-turned-CIS states, as well as some Asian and European countries.

Several European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, have declined the invitation in light of their allegations of Russia's involvement in the Ukrainian internal crisis.