All but two Western leaders shy away from Xi’s paradepublished at 08:44 British Summer Time
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor
Image source, ReutersPutin shaking hands with Slovakia’s Fico in China on Wednesday
Most Western leaders have chosen not to attend China’s “Victory Day” parade.
The two who have gone, Slovakia’s Robert Fico and Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, are no strangers to controversy but they have very different reasons for being there.
Both attended Russia’s Victory Day parade last May, and both have met Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Beijing, just as they did in Moscow.
But Vucic’s Serbia, although a candidate to join the EU, has cultivated close economic ties with China and he has sought to steer a neutral course with Russia, despite condemning its war in Ukraine.
Fico is in a very different position.
His country is a member of both the EU and Nato, and yet he has called for relations with Russia to be normalised.
While the EU wants a halt to Russian oil and gas imports by the end of 2027, Fico wants his Russian energy supply increased and Ukraine has sought to disrupt the pipeline providing it.
Putin may compliment the Slovak leader on his “independent foreign policy”, but Slovakia’s European allies don’t see it quite that way.
Image source, SPUTNIK/KREMLIN/EPA/ShutterstockSerbia’s Vucic also met Putin
Asked whether Fico was representing the EU in Beijing, a European Commission spokeswoman gave a terse “no”, pointing out that China was a “key enabler” of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
His opponents at home accuse him of serving Russian propaganda and betraying his country.
Fico argues he’s in Beijing “as a new world order is being formed” and says that after talks with Putin he has come to several conclusions and has a “serious message” for Zelensky when they meet on Friday.