Putin and Xi Tout Deepening Ties Ahead of Beijing Military Parade

Around 2K North Korean Soldiers Killed Fighting for Russia, Seoul Claims

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Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday that relations between their countries were at an “unprecedented level,” as the two met in Beijing ahead of a large-scale military parade.

The parade, scheduled for Wednesday to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II, will bring together approximately two dozen world leaders. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is among those expected to attend the event, marking his first visit to China since 2019.

“China-Russia relations have withstood the test of international changes,” Xi said in televised remarks, adding that Beijing was ready to work with Moscow to push for a “more just and reasonable” global order.

Putin said their regular contact “reflects the strategic nature of Russian-Chinese ties” and stressed that “we were always together then, and we remain together now.”

The gathering comes at the end of a week of intensive diplomacy for Xi, who also hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the northern city of Tianjin.

On Monday, both leaders used the SCO forum to criticize the West. Xi denounced “bullying behavior” — a pointed jab at Washington — while Putin defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blamed the West for fueling the conflict.

Russia and China declared a “no limits” partnership shortly before Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Since then, the two countries have deepened their military and trade cooperation.

On Tuesday, Russian state media said energy giant Gazprom had reached a deal with China’s national oil company to increase gas supplies

Beijing has avoided condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine, while presenting itself as a neutral player and faulting the West for prolonging the fighting.

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