Russia's Victory Day parade echoes unity across the Global South

Editor's note: Nikola Mikovic, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a freelance journalist in Serbia, covering mostly Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian foreign policy issues. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Russia is marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War. This commemorative event could help the Kremlin strengthen political and economic ties with countries of the Global South – especially with China, whose President Xi Jinping is the main guest at this year's Victory Day military parade in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi held talks at the Kremlin on Thursday, exchanging views on bilateral ties and key global and regional issues. They agreed to strengthen strategic coordination, advance stable and high-quality China-Russia relations, uphold the historical truth of the World War II, safeguard the UN's authority and defend international fairness. The two sides also witnessed the signing of over 20 cooperation agreements across various fields.

In addition, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Republic of Srpska President Milorad Dodik, among others, are also participating in the celebration. Vucic and Fico were reportedly pressured by the EU not to travel to Moscow and meet with Putin, while Dodik remains under restrictive measures imposed on him by the EU and the United States. The West has also targeted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro, but that did not prevent them from coming to Russia for the Victory Day celebration on May 9.

More importantly, on May 7, Putin and Maduro signed a strategic partnership agreement between their countries, while a week before the Victory Day parade the Russian and Belarusian leaders met and called for "enhanced cooperation under the Union State framework." Lukashenko's attendance in Moscow, therefore, has hardly surprised anyone.

What Russia watchers might not have expected was the presence of Central Asian leaders in Moscow, given that Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan are seeking to establish closer ties with the West. Still, their participation in the Victory Day parade perfectly illustrates these countries' multi-vector foreign policy.

The Kremlin, on the other hand, has once again demonstrated that while Russia's influence may be isolated from the West, it is not isolated from the rest of the world. What most leaders attending this year's event in Moscow have in common is an ambition to pursue a balanced foreign policy, aiming to maintain good relations with all key actors in the international order. Their presence on Red Square serves not necessarily as a gesture of support for Russia, but rather for the post-war international order, where peace and development remain shared aspirations of most nations.

The commemorative event, therefore, reflects the participating countries' commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation – the two principles that seem to play a crucial role in China's foreign policy. Prior to his visit to Moscow, the Chinese president published a signed article in the Russian Gazette newspaper, in which he emphasized that "unilateralism, hegemonism, bullying, and coercive practices are severely undermining our world."

In Xi's view, the global deficits in peace, development, security and governance continue to widen unabated, which is why he proposed building a "community with a shared future for mankind." It's also a common goal for both Russia and China to seek to amplify the voice of unity and resilience across the Global South in the reshaping new order. That is why major guests in Moscow include leaders of the Global South nations.

Still, for Russia, China is almost certainly the most important partner in the global arena. The two nations reached a record-high bilateral trade value last year. In dollar terms, their two-way trade value reached $244.8 billion, compared with just over $240 billion in 2023. Xi's meeting with Putin was, therefore, yet another opportunity for Moscow and Beijing to strengthen their bilateral relations.

The prominent role given to China at the Victory Day parade not only symbolizes deepening cooperation between the two nations, but also signals Moscow's intention to align more closely with Beijing in shaping a fairer multilateral world order.

This year's Victory Day parade serves not only as a commemoration of past triumphs, but also as a stage for potential emerging global partnerships. Although hard to achieve, Russia's closer ties with China and the Global South reflect the Kremlin's drive to reshape the international system into one that is more balanced and less dominated by the West.

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