Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Moscow on May 9, 2025, to participate in the Victory Day parade, which will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II.
Xi last visited Moscow in March 2023, shortly after securing a third term as China’s leader. The visit came against a backdrop of heightened Russia-West tensions, with Russian President Vladimir Putin using the occasion to showcase deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing. During the trip, Xi and Putin reaffirmed their “no-limits partnership”, focusing on economic and strategic cooperation.
This will be Xi’s first appearance at the event since the 70th anniversary parade in 2015. The visit was confirmed by Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov, though Beijing has yet to issue an official statement.
"Chinese leader Xi Jinping has accepted the invitation to take part in festive events to be held in Moscow on May 9 to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War," Russian state-run news agency TASS cited Morgulov as saying.
According to Morgulov, in return, Xi has invited Putin to Beijing in early September to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II for China, which was marked by Japan’s surrender.
The visit was also confirmed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who described these meetings as highly symbolic, reinforcing a shared historical connection and the two nations’ stance against what he called “Nazi manifestations”.
The Victory Day parade is a major annual event in Russia, commemorating the Soviet Union’s wartime efforts while also serving as a display of military strength. The event was once attended by world leaders, but since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western officials have largely boycotted it. In 2023, Putin hosted leaders from post-Soviet states, while in 2024, attendees included representatives from Cuba, Laos and Guinea-Bissau. For 2025, Russia has extended invitations to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Despite the strengthening partnership between Beijing and Moscow, China has officially maintained a neutral stance on the Ukraine war, calling for peace talks while expanding trade with Russia, particularly in energy and technology. Western nations have raised concerns over Beijing’s indirect support for Moscow, inclu
