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Zhao Ziwen

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited his US counterpart to Moscow in May, raising prospects for a meeting that could also include Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“Putin would be pleased to welcome world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, to the Moscow celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War if they decide to attend,” Russian state news agency Tass reported on Friday.
It is unclear whether Trump will accept the invitation to pay tribute to Soviet efforts in the second world war, but Igor Morgulov, the Russian ambassador to China, said Xi had confirmed had accepted the invitation for the anniversary.
Trump has not met Xi or Putin since his inauguration last month.
The Kremlin said that during a phone call on Wednesday, Putin told Trump that he was willing to meet US officials to discuss topics of mutual interest, including a possible settlement to the war in Ukraine.
Trump has also indicated that he plans to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine, although no date has been announced.
Moscow’s invitation came a day after Trump invited Putin and Xi to discuss nuclear disarmament and cuts to military spending.
Trump said he wanted to meet Xi and Putin to de-escalate nuclear tensions and “cut our military budget in half”.


But the Chinese foreign ministry shrugged off Trump’s offer, urging the United States to first take steps towards reducing stockpiles.
“The United States and Russia, as the largest nuclear-weapon states, should effectively fulfil their special priority responsibility for nuclear disarmament,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday.
“Further drastic and substantive reductions in nuclear weapons should be made [by the two nations] in order to create the necessary conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join the nuclear disarmament process.”
Guo said China’s nuclear policy was based on “self-defence” and it maintained its forces at “the lowest level necessary for its national security”.
The US defence budget, however, well surpassed those of other nations and the US should “lead by example in reducing military expenditure”, he said.
“The United States accounted for 40 per cent of global military spending in 2024, making it the world’s top military spender, exceeding the combined military spending of the next eight countries,” Guo said.
“The United States National Defence Authorisation Act for fiscal year 2025 further raises military spending to about US$895 billion. [The US] … should give priority to setting an example in cutting military spending.”
He said China “firmly pursues a defensive defence policy”, noting that its per capita military spending was low compared to nations such as the United States.
According to the US-based Arms Control Association, Russia has the biggest nuclear stockpile with an estimated 5,580 warheads while the US is next with 5,225.
China ranks third with around 600 warheads, and France, Britain, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea together have fewer than 1,000 warheads.


The United States continues to be the largest military spender globally, with China second. China’s outlays are less than half of the US defence budget but the two countries combined account for nearly half of the world’s total military expenditure.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China’s military spending increased 60 per cent from 2014 to 2023.
Other global and regional powers, such as Russia, India and Saudi Arabia, trail the US and China in terms of military spending by a wide margin. The spending of those three countries combined is roughly equivalent to China’s in 2023, according to SIPRI.


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Russia has the biggest stockpile of nuclear weapons. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP

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China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin could be set for several exchanges this year, with each inviting the other to join their war commemorations. Photo: EPA-EFE

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Trump and Modi embrace after giving a joint statement in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. Photo: AP

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China

Diplomacy

Xi Jinping will be in the Russian capital for war anniversary but no confirmation from US president


Xi Jinping will be in the Russian capital for war anniversary but no confirmation from US president.
