Most of the 68 world leaders invited on Saturday by Russian president Vladimir Putin to attend the 70th anniversary of the end of history’s bloodiest war declined. Yet among the 27 heads of state who did agree to join the Russian leader in watching the tanks roll included Xi Jinping, who sent soldiers to participate in the event for the first time.
U.S. President Barack Obama, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande all refused Putin’s invite, instead backing the sanctions that severed Russia from the global financial system after Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine last March, helping tip the economy into a recession.
The Chinese leader met Putin Friday in the Kremlin, where they oversaw the signing of a number of agreements in areas ranging from regional economic ties to investment and transport projects.
Putin said at the start of the meeting that China and the Soviet Union shared the common experience of suffering the heaviest losses in World War II. Xi replied that when this victory is celebrated it’s not “for hating some states” but to “establish peace on this planet together.”
Xi is keen to exercise China’s growing international clout and secure access to natural resources for the largest economy after the U.S. His visit to Moscow is one of a series of planned political and military events designed to show that U.S. and European leaders haven’t completely isolated Putin.
“For all the language about a new authoritarian alliance, a new friendship, new levels of strategic partnership, this is still very much a relationship of convenience,” said Bobo Lo, author of the book “Russia and the New World Disorder,” scheduled to be published in June.
Russia has strengthened its pivot to Asia by signing energy cooperation deals with China during Xi’s visit to Moscow.
“The energy sphere is key to our relations”, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at media briefing after the meeting with the Chinese delegation, adding that “formidable results” have been achieved.
OAO Gazprom, Russia’s natural-gas exporter, and state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. extended their strategic partnership for five years and agreed on conditions for gas supplies from West Siberia via the Altai pipeline.
Russia aims to strengthen ties with China after relations with the EU, its key gas customer, soured over the conflict in Ukraine. Bloomberg
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