Chinese leader travels to Russia to discuss Ukraine and the US with Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Moscow from Wednesday, May 7, to Saturday, May 10, to join Russian President Vladimir Putin in commemorating Russia's victory over Nazi Germany.

Xi and Putin are set to meet on Thursday to discuss the war in Ukraine and their relations with the United States.

Xi's trip, underscoring the growing closeness between Russia and China in the face of the West, comes amid a standoff in efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine and during an ongoing trade war between Beijing and Washington.

The Kremlin leader rejected a 30-day truce proposed by Kiev, instead announcing a unilateral ceasefire from Thursday to Saturday, which was promptly rejected by Ukraine.

According to Putin's press secretary, the two leaders will issue two joint statements—one on bilateral relations and the other on "global strategic stability."

Moscow's Red Square: the scene of a grand military parade

Other leaders will also attend the commemorative events in Russia. Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the country on Tuesday, while Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is en route to Moscow as part of a tour that will also take him to China.

Moscow's Red Square will host a grand military parade on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over the Nazis, with Putin and his international guests in attendance.

More than a hundred Chinese soldiers will participate in the parade, despite Ukraine's warning that it will view any foreign involvement as "support for the Russian aggressor state."

Closer ties 

In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused China of supplying arms to Russia and claimed that Beijing was aware of at least 155 Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russian forces.

Beijing denied that its citizens are being recruited en masse by Russia and urged the Chinese public not to get involved in the conflict. It also rejected claims that it is supplying arms to either side of the war.

Nevertheless, China and Russia have strengthened their ties over the past decade. Beijing has become Moscow’s top trading partner, as Russia faces Western sanctions, while Russia remains China’s fifth-largest trading partner, with China primarily relying on Russian natural gas and oil.

The two countries have shifted nearly all of their trade transactions to local currencies, with 95% of payments now made in rubles and yuan.