"I told Vladimir Putin that as the representative of the Russian people, he is welcome to the ceremonies."
Western leaders including US President Barack Obama and Britain's Queen Elizabeth are also due to attend the events on June 6th to commemorate the Normandy landings that marked the beginning of the liberation of continental Europe from the Nazis in World War II.
Putin had said earlier this week he did not rule out attending the ceremonies despite the Ukraine crisis, the worst standoff between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.
In March, the United States and other top economic powers cancelled a G8 summit with Russia planned for the Black Sea resort of Sochi in June and replaced it with a G7 meeting to be held in Brussels.
The West has also imposed sanctions on Russia over its stance on Ukraine.
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