Chinese President Xi Jinping was photographed standing next to Vladimir Putin on Friday as thousands of Russian troops and military vehicles rumbled through Moscow’s Red Square during the country’s annual Victory Day parade.
The event, marking Russia’s 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, featured over 11,500 troops and more than 180 military vehicles, including tanks, armored infantry vehicles and artillery used on the battlefield in Ukraine. Drones that Russia has deployed in the war were also on display, according to Reuters.
“We are proud of their courage and determination, their spiritual force that always has brought us victory,” Putin said about the Russian troops fighting in the war.
Russian flag carrier Aeroflot canceled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow and delayed over 140 others on Wednesday as the military were repelling repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on the capital.
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Ukrainian authorities also reported scores of Russian strikes on Friday that killed at least two people in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and damaged buildings.
The strikes in Ukraine came despite Putin declaring a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine last month ahead of the Victory Day celebrations.
“All military actions are suspended for this period,” the Kremlin said in a statement at the time, noting that the ceasefire would run through the end of Saturday, May 10. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with President Donald Trump on Thursday, who “confirmed that he wants this war to end, is ready to help, and supports the need for a ceasefire.”
Zelenskyy said he informed Trump that “Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire, starting even today. We are waiting for Russia to support this proposal. I also reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to engage in talks in any format. But for that, Russia must demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions to end the war, starting with a full unconditional ceasefire.”
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Prior to the parade, Putin and Xi held two rounds of talks and an informal chat about the conflict, the BBC reported, citing Chinese media.
Among the other world leaders to attend Friday were Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was the only European Union leader to head to Moscow, according to the BBC.
The outlet also reported that Chinese troops and contingents of soldiers from North Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia marched through Red Square.
Afterward, Putin shook hands with Russian military officers who led the troops on Red Square and spoke to a group of senior North Korean officers who watched the parade, hugging one of them.
Last month, Putin thanked North Korea for fighting alongside Russian troops against Ukrainian forces and hailed their sacrifices as Pyongyang confirmed its deployment for the first time.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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