Russian President Vladimir Putin is touring China ahead of the nation’s military parade, shaking hands with world leaders and seeking to strengthen his position on the international stage.
Putin touched down in the northern city of Tianjin on Sunday and will spend the next four days meeting with world leaders before observing the Wednesday celebration commemorating the end of the Sino-Japanese War and World War II.
The Russian president already had an “excellent meeting” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders promised to foster greater cooperation “in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture.”
“Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades,” Putin said of the meeting. “Friendly, trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future.”
Modi and Putin are expected to meet again in December for a bilateral summit in India.
The Russian leader has also been photographed speaking with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and others on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin.
Putin is slated to meet Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, a Kremlin ally who has criticized European leaders for too enthusiastically defending Ukraine throughout the Russian invasion.
The military parade, organized by the Chinese Communist Party as a demonstration of geopolitical power against U.S. hegemony, could be a massive benefit to attendees like Putin.
The trip is an opportunity for aggressive diplomacy from the Kremlin as it seeks to break out of the isolation imposed on it by Western powers after launching its invasion in 2022.
The highlight of the visit will likely be a trilateral meeting between Putin, Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping, and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim, who travels abroad very infrequently, has become Putin’s most stalwart ally since the Russia-Ukraine war began.
North Korea has supplied soldiers, military technology, and munitions to the Russian army.
CHINA PREPARES TO WELCOME PUTIN, KIM, AND IRANIAN OFFICIALS FOR MILITARY PARADE
Representatives from Iran, Cuba, and more than a dozen other countries are expected to fly to Beijing on Wednesday for the military parade.
Other world leaders expected to attend the parade include Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
