MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin used a visit on Sunday by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, to call for a return to normal relations with Europe, brushing aside the widespread boycott by Western leaders of the huge Victory Day parade on Red Square a day earlier.

“We do face some problems today, but the sooner we can end their negative impact on our relations, the better it will be,” Mr. Putin told Ms. Merkel at the start of their talks, after both leaders laid large bouquets of red flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier along the Kremlin wall.

Ms. Merkel and other Western leaders avoided the colossal official outpouring marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The parade included 16,000 soldiers marching through Red Square, along with the first new Russian tank in decades, the T-14 Armata, and three updated Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles. (An Armata stalled in the square during a practice run on Thursday, but all went smoothly during the real event.)

The guests of honor were Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Pranab Mukherjee of India. Their nations were among 10 countries with military contingents in the parade. Most of the others were former Soviet states. The presidents of Egypt, South Africa, Cuba and Venezuela were also among those attending.