Moscow – Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union World War II on Nazi Germany on Friday with a parade with the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the two countries promised to strengthen ties and “firmly” to fight the influence.
Amid strong security after Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow this week, thousands of Russian troops marched in Red Square, with military units from China and 12 other countries also participating.
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the subject of an arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the parade was an opportunity to show that he is not isolated in the global scenario. He also launches a spotlight in the post-World War International Order, led by the US, that President Donald Trump now seems to be committed to dismantling, leaving Russia and China to portray themselves as their defenders.
Xi signaled his support for Putin in actions and words, arriving on Wednesday for a four-day visit shortly after Ukrainian drone attacks interrupted the flights inside and outside Moscow.
“China will work with Russia to take on the special responsibilities of the world’s main powers,” Xi told Putin on Thursday, adding that both countries should be “Friends of Steel.”
In a long joint statement, Xi and Putin said they would deepen military ties and others and “strengthen coordination and respond jointly to the US” double containment “policy against the two countries.”
XI’s visit occurs when the Trump government is seeking a 30-day “unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and ahead of US-China trade negotiations this weekend, the first since Trump has imposed on US business partners worldwide.
Xi was among the 29 world leaders who were expected to participate in the celebrations, according to Kremlin. Diplomats from other countries said the presence of the Chinese leader had considered his decisions to come.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned the world leaders against participation in the celebrations, saying that it would impair the declared neutrality of some countries in the Ukraine War. But the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva I told NBC News that Zelenskyy had asked him to deliver a message to Putin asking for a cease -sustained Fogo.
The Ukrainian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lula insisted that standing with Putin in the red square “will not strengthen” the Russian leader.
“Brazil’s position has not changed,” he said in an interview on Thursday. “Brazil is critical of the Ukrainian occupation and we have to find peace.”
Moscow does not look like a city that wants peace at any cost. Before the parade, hotel employees, employees, and many public members used Saint George’s orange and black tape, a Russian military symbol that, especially since Putin’s invasion, 2022 from Ukraine has been associated with Russian nationalism and militarism. The streets were placed in the same colors.
Huge billboards connected World War II’s anniversary to Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, while others received individual world leaders, including those of Cuba and Venezuela.
May 9 is a sacred day to the former Soviet Union, which lost 27 million people during World War II. But the parade on Friday was haunted by the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
China, Russia’s largest commercial partner, struggled to portray itself as a neutral in the Ukraine war, supporting Russia diplomatically and economically. Xi said Putin on Thursday that he expected “a fair and durable agreement that is binding and accepted by all parties involved.”
Xi will leave Russia on Saturday when US and Chinese authorities meet in Switzerland to discuss increasing tariffs between the two countries that shook the global economy.
China has agreed with US -free negotiations, suggesting that tariffs “are having their intended effect,” said Craig Singleton, a senior member of the Washington Democracies Foundation.
Earlier this week, Beijing announced comprehensive political stages to reinforce his economy, including cuts and interest rates to support employment and difficulties such as real estate.
“These are not the actions of a confident regime,” said Singleton. “They are the movements of a leadership race to contain economic consequences before metastasis at political risk.”
China said this week that the meeting was requested from the US side and that although it was open to conversations, they “must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit.”
Trump suggested Thursday that US tariffs on Chinese imports could be the result of negotiations, telling reporters: “You can’t get louder” than the current rate of 145%.
But it is unlikely that negotiations lead to an immediate bilateral tariff reduction, the financial intelligence unit’s financial forecast service in a note in Thursday said.
“The two countries will continue to disagree with their favorite rates and that concessions need to be made to allow climbing,” he said. “However, the exchange of positions between them will be constructive, in contrast to a stop.”
Keir Simmons and Natasha Lebedeva reported in Moscow, and Jennifer Jett reported in Hong Kong.