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China kicked off its largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, a show of its growing firepower and geopolitical clout as President Xi Jinping seeks to cast Beijing as the custodian of a post-U.S. international order. Flanked by Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, a smiling Xi strolled up a red carpet to take his seat for the lavish event at Tiananmen Square to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat at the end of World War Two. More than 50,000 spectators packed into stands joined a vast choir singing patriotic songs as the dignitaries took their seats on the...

Beijing is set to witness one of the largest diplomatic gatherings on Wednesday, with the world particularly focused on the participation of China’s President Xi Jinping, his Russian and Iranian counterparts, along with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While it will be Kim’s maiden participation in any multilateral event since he assumed power in 2011, it will also be the first time that the leaders of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea will be at the same place, attending Beijing’s military parade to commemorate the Chinese victory against the Japanese aggression and end of World War II, as well...

A show of solidarity by three countries shunned by the West over their roles in the Ukraine war. China's President Xi Jinping gathered his Russian and North Korean counterparts in Beijing for the first time on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin was hosted in the Great Hall of the People for a bilateral where he called the Chinese leader his ''dear friend." The pair then met at Xi's personal residence over tea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's armored train was spotted arriving in the Chinese capital before his motorcade rolled through the streets. The three are set to appear...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un will attend a military parade in Beijing, marking the first public appearance of the two leaders alongside President Xi Jinping in a show of collective defiance amidst Western pressure. No Western leaders will be amongst the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade next week except for Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, a European Union member state, according to the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday. Against the backdrop of China's growing military might during the "Victory Day" parade on September 3, the three leaders will project a...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has awarded medals to his returning and fallen troops, who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine, as he held an emotional meeting with the families of soldiers killed on the battlefield, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “The combat activities of overseas operational forces … proved without regret the power of the heroic [North Korean] army,” and that the “liberation of Kursk” proved the “fighting spirit of the heroes”, KCNA reported on Friday, quoting Kim. “Our army is now doing what it ought to do and what needs to...

At North Korea’s new beach resort, the white sand glistened against the crystal-clear waters. Ten minutes of Wi-Fi cost $1.70. Food arrived in abundance, albeit with the same three beverage choices: water, tea or beer. The weeklong trip cost roughly $2,000. The catch? All travelers had to be Russian. Welcome to North Korea’s Wonsan Kalma coastal complex, a megaresort built by the regime to portray the country as modern and affluent. It is opening to foreign vacationers for the first time, as part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s drive to attract more tourism to his cash-strapped country and...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where he described the two nations' relations as "an invincible fighting brotherhood", Russia's foreign ministry said. The ministry quoted Lavrov as saying that the visit represented the continuation of "strategic dialogue" between the two sides inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea last year. In a message passed on by Lavrov, Putin said that he hoped for more direct contacts in future, TASS news agency reported. Lavrov, the ministry said, also thanked North Korea for the troops...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been seen mourning over his soldiers believed to have been killed in the Russia-Ukraine war, images aired by state media showed on Tuesday. Aired by Korean Central Television, the images showed Kim solemnly placing a North Korean flag over a coffin during a ceremony for the return of the remains of North Korean soldiers who were deployed and killed in the conflict. The images showed photos of Kim in the background footage during a joint cultural event co-hosted by North Korea and Russia in Pyongyang on Sunday, marking the first anniversary of the...

Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, traveled to Pyongyang on Tuesday under the direct orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling a deepening of strategic military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The visit, Shoigu's second in less than two weeks and third meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in just three months, comes as Moscow seeks to draw Pyongyang closer in its protracted war effort in Ukraine. Observers say the visit suggests a bid by Russia to leverage shifting global attention — particularly the West’s growing preoccupation with escalating tensions between Israel and Iran — to secure...

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. -snip- Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not respond to requests for comment. The Kremlin declined comment. But both Trump and Putin have developed friendly relations with rulers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Trump said on Sunday that his administration had "meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia." When asked about those remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said...

MAD Vladimir Putin has been forced to pad out his pathetic parades with North Korean cannon fodder while Russian troops are being massacred on the frontline. Amongst the pomp, propaganda and weaponry, North Korean troops are to march through Moscow's Victory Day parade for the first time, according to insiders. -snip- Dozens of Putin's North Korean cannon fodder are to join the parade in May as the mad dictator desperately attempts to show a substantial military - despite the total casualties of Russian troops standing at over 771,000. Russian sources revealed news of North Korea's participation in the parade to...