Moscow (TDI): Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Thursday, thanking him for joining commemorations marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Putin drew a direct parallel between the historic fight against Nazi Germany and what he describes as the current threat of “neo-Nazism” in the context of war in Ukraine.
Xi’s high-profile trip comes as a diplomatic win for Putin, who has long framed his military campaign in Ukraine as a continuation of Russia’s World War II legacy.
In an address televised from a grand Kremlin hall, Putin stated that Moscow and Beijing are strongly safeguarding historical truth and are jointly resisting the new kinds of neo-Nazism and militarism.
Xi, welcomed as a “dear friend,” walked the red carpet to meet Putin, with both leaders later posing for cameras and delivering joint statements.
He pledged Chinese cooperation to tackle with “unilateralism and bullying” — an indirect criticism of American influence — and called for a multipolar world order.
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“Together, we will promote the correct view of World War II history,” Xi said, “defend the authority of the UN, and protect the rights and interests of China, Russia, and the vast majority of developing nations.”
More than two dozen foreign leaders attended the May 8 commemorations in Moscow, but Xi’s attendance stood out amid deepening East-West divisions.
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His trip comes as Beijing and Moscow strengthen their “no limits” partnership, forged shortly before Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022.
