In the case of both China and Russia, their malign behavior, combined with aggressive military modernization programs, puts the international security environment on a trajectory that should concern all free nations. "In addition to their military incursions in Georgia and Ukraine, their use of cyber warfare and information operations continues to interfere with other states' domestic affairs. "Russia's foreign policy demonstrates a blatant disregard for state sovereignty," Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in Brussels last month. He called a 2017 Bastille Day parade he attended in France "one of the greatest parades I've ever seen" and said it inspired him to hold his own militaristic celebration at the Lincoln Memorial for the Fourth of July this year.Īs Trump contemplated going to a celebration of Russian military might, his top defense officials have for several years been warning of current threats and future challenges posed by Russia, among others. Trump has in the past expressed affection for displays of military might. president to attend the parade, in 2005, while President Bill Clinton attended 10 years before. "It is right in the middle of political season, so I'll see if I can do it. "I appreciate the invitation," Trump said. On Friday, Trump suggested the 2020 election might influence his attendance. At the time, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump had responded positively a White House official said then that Trump "believes it's important to commemorate the Allied troops who lost their lives in WWII" but that he had "not confirmed participation." The Kremlin said in June that Putin had extended an invitation to Trump when they met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, that month, according to TASS. President Putin invited me to the - it's a very big deal, celebrating the end of the war, et cetera, et cetera. ![]() "That's right in the middle of our campaign season, but I am thinking I would certainly think about it. "I was invited, I am thinking about it," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, after a reporter from a Russian state news agency, TASS, asked him about it. Western leaders have skipped the May 9 parade - which features dozens of missiles and tanks rolling through Moscow's Red Square - after Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea in 2014. Trump confirmed Putin had invited him to Russia's annual Victory Day parade, which commemorates the end of World War II and is Russia's biggest national holiday. ![]() The defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II that Russia celebrates on May 9 is the country’s most important holiday. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Friday that he would "love to go" to a Russian military parade that Western officials have avoided in recent years over Russia's annexation of Crimea, after Russian President Vladimir Putin invited him earlier this year. FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a military parade marking 74 years since the victory in WWII in Red Square in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, May 9, 2019.
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