Xi Jinping arrives in Russia as Putin’s ‘guest of honor’ amid Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a four-day visit to attend the military parade commemorating the May 9 “Victory Day” as Ukraine continued its drone strike on Moscow amid President Vladimir Putin’s announcement for a three-day truce.
The Chinese president’s trip to Russia coincides with a barrage of Ukrainian drones being fired into Russia’s capital as Moscow’s mayor Sergei Soanin said, Russia’s air defence unit destroyed at least 19 Ukrainian drones during the night hours.
According to Beijing, Xi Jinping would deepen the “mutual trust” with Putin and attend the activities commemorating 80 years of “Victory Day” since the Allied forces’ defeated the Nazi Germany in World War II.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the Vnukovo airport in Moscow, Russia, ahead of celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during the World War II. (Grigory Sysoev/RIA Novosti via AP)
Upon his arrival in Moscow, Xi Jinping was greeted with a military band. The attacks Ukraine to durb the Victory Day festivities has led to the closure of major airports in Moscow with Russia’s national carrier, Aeroflot, saying it has reordered timetables to cope with the disruption.
Russia’s defence minry said that due to the closure of airports, at least 60,000 passengers were affected while the military destroyed more than 500 drones in the past 24 hours in the region.
“The strong camaraderie between our two nations, forged in blood and sacrifice, surges onward unceasingly…It is an eternal wellspring nourishing our everlasting friendship,” an article quoting Xi published in Russian state media stated, CNN reported.
PM Narendra Modi was also invited to the festivities but had to cancel the trip due to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.Story continues below this ad
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vietnam’s President To Lam and Belarussian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko are among the world leaders who would attend the “Victory Day” celebrations in Moscow.
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