Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China later this year for a regional summit, talks with leader Xi Jinping and commemorations marking 80 years since the end of World War II in Asia, the Kremlin said Thursday, June 19.
Putin and Xi – who often refer to each other as "dear friend" – have deepened their relations amid Russia's three-year offensive on Ukraine. The two countries signed a "no-limits" strategic partnership just days before Russia launched its full-scale military campaign in February 2022.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, a Chinese-led regional forum, on August 31-September 1. Putin and Xi will hold bilateral talks on September 2, and then the Russian leader will head to the WWII events scheduled in Beijing for September 3.
Xi was guest of honour at a vast military parade in Moscow on May 9, marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in Europe. Both Russia and China have been accused by critics of distorting the history of WWII and seeking to use the conflict to justify their expansionist foreign policies. China marks the end of WWII in September, when Japanese forces officially surrendered.