May 8 (UPI) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday in Moscow as a contingent of world leaders come to Russia as it celebrates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Xi met with Putin for about four hours of talks that he described as "in-depth, friendly and fruitful," as Putin called him a "dear friend" and praised the talks as "warm and substantive."
"History and reality have fully proven that the continued development and deepening of China-Russia relations is a natural continuation of the longstanding friendship between our peoples," Xi said ahead of the visit.
In a statement, Xi also declared that Russia and China are "good neighbors that cannot be moved apart, true friends who share weal and woe and reliable partners who help each other succeed."
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Xi will stay for four days, which includes May 9, known as "Victory Day" in Russia, and other world leaders expected to attend also include Belarussian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Vietnam's President To Lam. Groups from the Chinese People's Liberation Army honor guard are also scheduled to participate in the Victory Day parade in Moscow.
Xi said that Russia and China will "work together to defend the hard-won outcomes of World War II."
He is expected to sign cooperation agreements with Putin and strengthen the relationship between China and Russia.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has already increased the bond between Beijing and Moscow, despite China's claims of neutrality, as China and Russia achieved a strong bilateral trade last year, while several countries have slapped sanctions on Russia because of the war. Western governments have said Chinese machine parts and microchips that, while being dual-use products, have bolstered Russia's defense-industrial base.
Putin had proposed a three-day cease-fire that would cover Victory Day and the Ukrainian military said had not detected any Russian missiles or drones in Ukrainian airspace as of Thursday morning after Russia launched drone and missile strikes on Kyiv Wednesday.
Zelensky also posted Thursday that in regard to Victory Day, "more than 8 million Ukrainians fought against Nazism, not only as part of the Soviet army. Tens of thousands served in the Allied armies."
He also wrote that "Victory and true remembrance are not with those who hold 'parades' but with those on whose side the truth is."
Zelensky warned dignitaries earlier this month that Ukraine "cannot be responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation," to which Deputy Secretary of Russia's National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev responded on his Telegram account over the weekend that Zelensky's words are "verbal provocation. Nothing more," but that "if his provocations are materialized, nobody will guarantee the dawn of May 10 in Kyiv."
