President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday was celebrating his country’s victory 80 years ago against Nazi Germany, presiding over a huge military parade in Moscow joined by China’s top leader, Xi Jinping.
The event signified Mr. Putin’s aim to project himself as a leader of an emerging alliance of anti-Western and nonaligned states with Mr. Xi, who was sitting next to him on a stand overlooking Red Square.
More than 20 other international dignitaries were also attending, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, and President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia. Some viewed the large number of foreign leaders as a sign of Russia’s global clout despite Western efforts to isolate Mr. Putin after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.