Putin Says Russia-China Cooperation Maintains Stability After Moscow Victory Day Parade

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters after Russia’s annual Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday that cooperation between Russia and China is a key factor in maintaining stability in international relations today.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses a press conference following Russia's annual Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square on May 9, 2026, marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War”

@globaltimesnews

Putin said China is Russia’s largest trade and economic partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $140 billion and continuing to grow, and he said Russia and China are prepared to take substantive steps forward in cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

@globaltimesnews

Speaking to the Global Times, Zhang Hong, a research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "China has consistently pushed for conflicts to be resolved through political and diplomatic channels".

Putin also said he welcomed the expected visit of US President Donald Trump to China, saying continued engagement between the US and China is welcome as it helps maintain regional stability.

At a press conference, Putin described cooperation between states like China and Russia as "undoubtedly a factor of deterrence and stability" in global affairs, and he said the two countries have reached a high level of agreement to "take a serious step forward" in oil and gas cooperation.

On the Ukraine crisis, Putin said he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not only in Moscow but also in a third country, but only for signing an agreement on a final peace treaty.

CGTN

Putin added that, "It is possible to meet in a third country, but only if final agreements are reached on a peace treaty," and he said the treaty should be designed for a long-term historical perspective.

The Global Times also quoted Putin saying the matter of the Ukraine conflict is first and foremost between Russia and Ukraine, while he praised the Trump administration’s sincere hope to resolve the conflict.

France 24 reported that President Xi Jinping presided on Sunday in Tianjin over a reception in honor of participants at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit opening on Monday, with Vladimir Putin arriving Sunday morning according to state media in Russia and China.

“President Xi Jinping held, on Sunday, in grand fashion, a gathering of the Russian, Indian, Iranian and Turkish leaders and about twenty Eurasian leaders to show, in an era of American tariffs and geostrategic tensions, that another international model is possible, with China at its center”

France 24

France 24 said the SCO summit is placed under tight police and military security, and it described the gathering as a show that “another international model is possible, with China at its center.”

In the Global Times account of Putin’s remarks, the Chinese expert said stable Russia-China ties have helped underpin stability across Eurasia, Central Asia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization region, emerging as an important anchor of stability.

Xinhua reported that Xi and Putin discussed strengthening strategic coordination within multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS+, and Xi said China and Russia must work together to maintain global strategic stability as the international situation has become increasingly turbulent since the beginning of the year.