From August 31 to September 3
Kim Jong Un to Attend China's Victory Day Ceremony
On August 29 (local time), ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China, the Kremlin emphasized that Russia values its partnership with China.
According to TASS news agency, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated during a briefing that "our relationship with China is a special, privileged, and strategic partnership," adding, "We value this relationship. It is a genuine partnership."
Peskov added, "It is difficult to overestimate the scale of this relationship at present. Both we and our Chinese counterparts agree that there is still a long way to go before the full potential of our bilateral partnership is realized."
He announced that President Putin's "exceptionally long visit to China" will begin on August 31.
President Putin will first attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, then travel to Beijing to participate in the 80th anniversary ceremony of China's Victory Day, which will be held on September 3. During this period, President Putin is scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings.
The Victory Day event in Beijing is also expected to be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, making it an occasion that will highlight the close ties among North Korea, China, and Russia.
Afterward, President Putin will visit Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, where the Eastern Economic Forum will be held. The forum will run from September 3 to 6, but President Putin is expected to attend only the main sessions on September 4 and 5.
Regarding Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's remarks about mediating direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and the possibility that "Russia could ease its territorial demands to resolve the Ukraine conflict," Peskov stated that the content of ongoing discussions would not be made public and declined to comment.
Minister Fidan said in a media interview that while Russia is demanding the entire territory of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, it is willing to freeze the current front lines in southern Ukrainian territories such as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Peskov explained that although President Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held in-depth discussions on the Ukraine issue at the Alaska summit on August 15, they deliberately chose not to disclose the details, judging it inappropriate to make them public.
Regarding a possible summit between President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Peskov said that while he does not rule out the possibility of such a meeting, it should only take place after agreements are reached at the expert level, with the leaders finalizing the process. He pointed out, however, that "work at the expert level is not yet dynamic."
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