World

Xi accepts invite to attend Russia's Victory Day in May

By AAP Newswire

Feb 10, 2025

Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping — Vladimir Putin will host China's Xi Jinping at the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in WWII. -AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted Russia's invitation to attend the commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, TASS state news agency reported.

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"Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation to take part in the celebrations on May 9 in Moscow on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War," TASS cited Russian ambassador to China, Igor Morgulov, as telling Russian state television on Monday.

The Kremlin said in December it had invited "many countries" to attend the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, which Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War II, including many millions in Ukraine, but eventually pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide and the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag in 1945.

Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender came into force at 11.01pm on May 8, 1945, marked as Victory in Europe Day by France, Britain and the United States. In Moscow it was already May 9, which became the Soviet Union's Victory Day in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.

Victory Day has become Russia's most important secular holiday.

Morgulov said Xi in return, invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to China for the country's commemoration of the end of World War II, which are planned for September.