Moscow [Russia], April 2: Chinese President Xi Jinping is to be the guest of honour when Russia marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with the annual Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square on May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
"We are preparing a good and extensive programme," Putin said on receiving Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow. He highlighted the significance of relations between the two countries.
China is Russia's most important ally, and the two leaders are seen as close on a personal level. Moscow and Beijing constantly stress the depth of their bilateral relations and have continued to do so following a change of course in Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January and revived ties with Moscow.
China has not imposed sanctions on Russia in relation to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Xi visited Russia the next year, when the two leaders signed an agreement on economic cooperation up to 2030.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Wang to prepare the ground for the summit in May. Meetings between Putin and Xi always gave a strong boost to the relations, Lavrov said.
The foreign ministers were to discuss "prospects for a resolution of the Ukraine crisis," as well as other international issues, the Russian Foreign Ministry said ahead of the meeting. Bilateral issues were also on the agenda.
In February, the Russian ambassador to Beijing, Igor Morgulov, announced that Xi had accepted an invitation to the celebrations marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said later that a visit by Putin to China was also in preparation. This is expected to take place after celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese war.
Source: Qatar Tribune
