Interfax: Some 60 foreign leaders to attend Olympics opening ceremony in Sochi – Kremlin aide

MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) – Sixty heads of state and government have confirmed their plans to take part in the opening ceremony of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.

“A very large number of leaders have given their consent. We have counted about 60 heads of state and government,” Ushakov told journalists on Friday.

In particular, the leaders of China, Japan and Italy as well as the heads of key international organizations, including the UN, have confirmed their participation in the opening ceremony, he said.

“The foreign representation at the opening ceremony will be quite solid,” Ushakov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will have “stand-up meetings” with a lot of chiefs of state, he said.

No meeting with the members of the U.S. delegation is planned, as the U.S. has not made a relevant request, he said.