Vladimir Putin was the latest world leader to call and congratulate new Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, with a Kremlin official saying on Thursday that Russia’s “unofficial Czar” phoned and even invited the Greek leftist to Moscow.

Even more noteworthy on the “symbolism meter” is the fact that Tsipras got an “invite” for May 9, the annual celebration and military parade in Moscow marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII.

Tsipras reportedly cited the importance of the fight against Nazism, and expressed his intent to respond to the invitation.

Beyond the May date, Putin called on Tsipras to visit at his convenience and even called for more active bilateral relations.

If the quoted source is accurate, the situation in Ukraine and the ubiquitous — when dealing with Russia — “pipeline” issues were touched on.