Kremlin confirms China’s Xi to attend Moscow Victory Day celebrations

More than 20 foreign leaders are expected to take part in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of victory in WWII

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend Moscow’s celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that his Chinese counterpart would be Russia’s main guest at this year’s landmark celebrations. Xi’s itinerary won’t be limited to Victory Day festivities, according to Putin.

“We are expecting the leader of China,” Peskov said, adding that the Kremlin attaches great importance to the anticipated visit.

Moscow views the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany as a profound symbol of national resilience, as the USSR lost an estimated 26.6 million lives during World War II. For this year’s celebrations, Russian authorities have extended multiple invitations, including to the leaders of China, India, and Brazil, as well as numerous other international leaders.

Russia will celebrate the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi and hold its annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on May 9. More than 20 foreign leaders are expected to attend the commemoration in the Russian capital, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

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Russian Ambassador to Brazil Aleksey Labetsky said earlier this month that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accepted Moscow’s invitation to the major event. Other leaders planning to attend this year’s anniversary celebrations in Moscow include Vietnamese President To Lam, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, and Burkina Faso’s interim leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned the leaders of the bloc’s candidate countries against attending Russia’s celebrations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Kallas’ comments as tantamount to a revival of Nazism.