MOSCOW Russia commemorated victory in World War II on Wednesday with its first civilian defense minister greeting troops in Red Square and President Vladimir Putin issuing a subtle message on U.S. missile defense plans.

Sergei Ivanov, appointed by Putin in March, stood ramrod straight in a dark blue suit as he moved swiftly through the square in an open-top silver grey Zil Limousine to congratulate 5,000 troops from different parts of the armed forces.

Diplomats and bemedaled veterans, many leaning on canes or crutches, watched as troops filed past with flags aloft. A small group then performed a colorful marching routine, at one point placing their rifles on the ground to spell "pobeda" (victory).

Ivanov's appointment was part of Putin's plans to modernize the military, still reeling from the collapse of Soviet rule.

Putin called for unity more than five decades after a war in which Russia and former Soviet states lost more than 20 million people, far more than any other allied nation.

"Our nation had such unity and such a will that this strength was enough to raise the world to fight fascism," he said from a rostrum alongside the mausoleum housing the embalmed body of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin.

"We have no right to give up this spirit today."

Putin also had a message for Bush, who wants to build a U.S. national missile defense system denounced by Russia as a threat to global stability aimed against its own nuclear arsenal.

"The experience of post-war history shows that one cannot build a safe world only for oneself, moreover one which harms the interests of others," he said.

Russia opposes Washington going it alone in building a missile shield, but says it is ready to talk about threats Washington fears from "rogue states" like North Korea and Iraq.