Putin, Pezeshkian, and Un to Participate in China’s Victory Day Parade
according to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and Reuters, Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian, presidents of Russia and Iran respectively, will join Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, at China’s Victory Day parade commemorating the defeat of Japan in World War II.
Reuters reports this event marks the first public appearance of Putin and Kim alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping. It signals a show of collective solidarity amid mounting Western pressure.
Among the 26 foreign leaders attending the parade, no Western heads of state will be present except Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was confirmed by China’s Foreign Ministry to participate.
Russia regards China as a strategic partner. As its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has faced sweeping Western sanctions; though, its economy does not appear critically damaged. Despite an arrest warrant issued against Putin by the International Criminal court (ICC), he last visited China in early 2024.
The parade celebrates the 79th anniversary of Japan’s formal surrender in World War II. Attending leaders also include Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko; Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto; and South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is also set to attend. Additionally, UN deputy Secretary-General Li Junhua will represent the United Nations at the event.
This extensively planned ceremony is expected to be one of China’s largest parades in recent years. It will feature displays of advanced military hardware including fighter jets, air defense systems, and hypersonic weapons.
