China showcases military strength at parade as Xi stands alongside Putin and Kim

Our live coverage has now ended. See the post below for a catch-up on the day’s events and scroll further back for a look at the developments as they happened.

You can also read our analysis of today’s events here and see pictures from the parade, here.

After a busy few days hosting foreign leaders from around the world, China rounded out events on Wednesday with an enormous military parade, followed by an elaborate musical gala.

For the first time, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood side-by-side publicly, watching the military parade roll by in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

As we end our coverage, take a look below what we’ve been following today:

Performers take part in a gala performance entitled "Justice Will Prevail" to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Wednesday.

After a full day of events in Beijing, China’s World War II commemorations have ended with a musical gala that lasted around an hour and a half.

Actors danced and sang songs related to the war, performing on an elaborately designed stage with props and costumes. Dozens of actors took part in the performance.

The gala, named “Justice Will Prevail,” was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping greets veterans before the gala performance.

The performance was watched by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, alongside high-ranking officials in the Chinese government.

Xi greeted a number of World War II veterans who were also in attendance before the spectacle began.

The performance was divided into five chapters, and featured some of China’s most famous actors and performers. It showed pictures of the signing of the “Declaration by United Nations” in 1942, which affirmed the basic principles of universal human rights, as well as Japan’s surrender in 1945.

Towards the end of the performance, a voiceover called upon the people of China to lead the country forward.

“Let us unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, working tirelessly to comprehensively advance China’s development and national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization,” it said.

Performers take part in the "Justice Will Prevail" gala performance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping with his wife Peng Liyuan, center, pose for a family photo with a selection of world leaders before a military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on Wednesday.

A total of 26 foreign leaders have traveled to China in the last few days, with some attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Sunday and Monday, and others arriving for the country’s military parade in Beijing that took place on Wednesday.

Though Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were indisputably the guests that gained the most global attention, several other heads of state also took part in the events.

Here’s some of the other officials who were in attendance:

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Beijing, China, on Wednesday.

Retired Navy Admiral and CNN military analyst, James Stavridis, weighed in on the united front presented by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at today’s parade.

“If I were advising Vladimir Putin I would say, be careful what you wish for with China,” Stavridis told John Berman on CNN News Central. “Because you are ultimately going to end up as a very junior partner in that relationship.”

The former naval officer believes the display of solidarity between China’s President and Putin is an orchestrated move, part of Xi’s wider effort to establish an alternative world order that can challenge the US and its Western allies.

“Xi is smart,” Stavridis said. “He’s manipulating Putin. But yes, Putin is feeling pretty good.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference at the end of his visit to China on Wednesday.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said that Donald Trump claiming there is a “conspiracy” against the United States shows that the US president has a “sense of humor.”

After the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea met in China, Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social to Chinese leader Xi Jinping: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”

Speaking Wednesday in Beijing, Putin said “the US president does not lack a sense of humor.”

Putin said that he and Trump have developed “good relations,” and that none of the world leaders who joined the summit in China “expressed negative judgments about the current US administration.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is willing to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow.

Speaking to the media in Beijing, Putin said US President Donald Trump had asked him to hold talks with Zelensky.

Earlier in his speech, the Russian leader stressed that he “never ruled out” meeting Zelensky, but questioned whether there is “any point” in such a meeting.

For context: Putin’s proposal is almost certain to be a non-starter for Kyiv. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainian authorities say they have foiled multiple alleged Russian plots to assassinate Zelensky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference at the end of his visit to China on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that every country has the right to choose how it ensures its own security, including Ukraine.

But the Russian president stressed, while speaking to the media in Beijing, that “the security of one country cannot be achieved at the expense of another country,” reiterating that Moscow opposes Kyiv joining NATO.

Putin’s comments come a day before Ukraine’s Western allies are set to meet to discuss plans to guarantee the country’s future security in the event of a halt to Russia’s invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is speaking to the media in Beijing now after attending China’s military parade, where he appeared alongside leader Xi Jinping and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un.

We’ll bring you updates when we have them, stay with us.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is enjoying another moment in the international spotlight on his visit to China, using the occasion to showcase his partnership with a key military ally: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The massive military parade in Beijing Wednesday was Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s show, but Putin also met on the sidelines with Kim, who has sent both soldiers and ammunition to support Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Putin praised Pyongyang on Wednesday for sending troops, saying North Korean soldiers “fought courageously and heroically” on the front lines against Ukrainian forces.

After a two-and-a-half hour meeting with Kim following the parade, the two leaders shared a hug, and Putin was heard extending an invitation to his North Korean counterpart to visit Russia.

Western officials estimate around 4,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded fighting on Russia’s side from a contingent of around 12,000, deployed primarily to Russia’s Kursk border region to help repel a Ukrainian incursion.

The military alliance is now in the open after months of initial secrecy. Kim recently publicly mourned his country’s casualties and North Korea has released a propaganda video glorifying the soldiers fighting on Russia’s side.

It’s a not-so-subtle display of military resolve by Putin just weeks after meeting US President Donald Trump in Alaska to talk about a possible end to the war.

In remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit meeting ahead of the parade, Putin seemed to indicate that he had not budged one inch from the position he held when he launched the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, blaming the West for what he described as the root cause of the conflict: the 2014 Maidan revolution that ended with pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fleeing the country after a violent crackdown.

And if Putin’s resolve to continue the war on Ukraine was in question, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine as Russia rained more than 500 drones and two dozen cruise missiles overnight as the Kremlin leader attended the military parade in Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, attends a meeting with Luong Cuong, his counterpart from Vietnam, at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talked with Luong Cuong, the president of Vietnam, on Wednesday evening, in the last scheduled meeting of Putin’s trip to Beijing, according to the Kremlin.

Images posted to social media by the Kremlin show the pair smiling and shaking hands in front of their countries’ flags, as well as sitting down for the event in the Chinese capital’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

According to a Kremlin translation of Cuong’s remarks, the Vietnamese leader told Putin that “every Vietnamese citizen values ​​the great and kind assistance that the Soviet Union and Russia provided us before, when we fought for our freedom, and now, when we are building our country.”

Cuong congratulated Russia on “the great achievements” it “has made over the past time,” the Kremlin added.

“You have overcome many difficulties. We believe that Russia under your leadership will become great, will become a pillar protecting peace, justice and stability. We believe (in it) and wish you success,” he continued, according to the Kremlin.

More than 50,000 people gathered at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Wednesday to witness Xi Jinping’s staggering show of military might.

The spectacle also served as a gathering of world leaders, many of whom are part of a growing bloc of illiberal allies seeking to challenge American leadership.

For many people in the West, the defining images of the parade will not be the goose-stepping troops or the nuclear-capable missiles – but rather the sight of Xi standing side by side with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un – which is being seen as an unprecedented show of solidarity against the US and its allies.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday.

Moscow hopes US President Donald Trump’s claim that Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping are conspiring against America was meant “figuratively,” the Kremlin has said.

As China’s military parade got underway in Beijing, Trump posted on Truth Social: “May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines following the Putin-Kim summit Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “no one is plotting any conspiracies” and expressed hope Trump’s statement was meant “figuratively, not literally.”

Peskov also added Russia’s relations with partners in the East, especially with China and North Korea, as well as meetings within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other summits, are carried out for the good of their nations, and not against anyone.

“The principle is for the benefit of the peoples of our countries, and not against third countries,” he said.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said earlier Wednesday: “I want to say that no conspiracies have been arranged, no one has been conspiring, no conspiracies at all, and moreover, none of these three leaders have even entertained such thoughts.”

Turning our attention back to China’s military parade for a moment and let’s take a look now at some of the most standout images of the weapons showcased on Wednesday.

More than 50,000 spectators gathered to watch military vehicles, missiles, drones and other weapons roll through Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

China introduced its newest intercontinental ballistic missiles in years, wheeling the massive DF-61 weapons around on mobile platforms. The DF-61 designation was last seen in the 1970s, according to the Germany-based Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy.

Air-defense lasers were displayed, including one large laser that state-run TV said would be mounted on warships. A land version of the weapon was also shown to spectators.

Two extra-large undersea drones also debuted at the parade, with images showing them dwarfing nearby soldiers.

Scroll down to see a selection:

Land operations group vehicles.

The DF-61 intercontinental ballistic missile.

A vehicle-mounted laser weapon.

YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missiles.

An AJX002 underwater drone.

The maritime operations group displays YJ-19 hypersonic anti-ship missiles during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, on Wednesday.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s unveiling of advanced weapons at Wednesday’s military parade, which included an intercontinental ballistic missile, undersea drones, and robot dogs, was a way of sending a message to the West, a leading military analyst told CNN today.

“China is moving much more rapidly in this critical military technology area than the United States is.” Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said in an interview with Rosemary Church earlier.

“They’re gaining an advantage that will give them the ability to make it much more difficult for the US and its allies to be able to project power into the Western Pacific in a crisis.”

The leaders’ comradery offers a challenge to the West, and an insight into Xi’s vision of a new world order, Davis believes.

“It’s about intimidation. It’s about asserting China’s reality, or China’s perception, that China’s rise is unstoppable.” he added.

Davis sees Xi’s showcase of weaponry and display of solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a warning to the West, particularly regarding Taiwan.

“China is saying to Taiwan, we will impose unification on Taiwan, against the wishes of the Taiwanese people, through military force at a time of our choosing and we’re building up the military capabilities to do that.” Davis added.

For context: At Wednesday’s parade, Xi presented a united front alongside Putin and Kim. The leaders were pictured publicly together for the first time as they walked through Tiananmen Square.

Xi Jinping staged a staggering show of China’s military power today, rallying some of the world’s most powerful authoritarian leaders behind his vision for a new world order as US President Donald Trump wages a global trade war and reshapes American alliances.

Here are some talking points from the day:

Military spectacle: The parade showcased a mix of conventional weaponry and advanced technologies, including air-defense lasers, stealth fighter jets, anti-ship missiles, its newest intercontinental ballistic missile, undersea drones, and robot dogs – highlighting China’s significant investment in modern warfare capabilities.

Rows of soldiers goose-stepped in perfect unison — long a hallmark of authoritarian regimes’ militaries.

Autocratic trio: One of the most striking images of the day was Xi walking toward the Tiananmen rostrum, flanked on either side by Putin and Kim, with the other world leaders following behind. It was a clear statement of unity between the strongman leaders, who share a vision for an alternative world order that can counter the US and its Western partners.

Putin invites Kim to Russia: After the parade, the two leaders held closed-door talks for more than two hours, and Putin invited Kim to visit Russia. Before those talks, Putin thanked North Korean troops for fighting for Moscow against Ukraine, and Kim said his country would support Russia “as brothers.”

Family affair: Kim also brought two members of his family to Beijing, photos show – his sister Kim Yo Jong, believed to be one of his closest confidantes and advisors, and a young girl believed to be his daughter Kim Ju Ae, who has sparked speculation about being his potential successor.

Trump weighs in: US President Donald Trump wrote a sarcastic social media post as the parade got underway, saying: “May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.” A Russian presidential aide responded by saying: “No one has been conspiring.”

A Kremlin pool reporter captured some behind-the-scenes color from the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after attending China’s massive military parade Wednesday morning.

In a post on his Telegram channel, pool reporter Alexander Yunashev shared video of what appeared to be Kim’s staff cleaning up the room after the two-and-a-half hour meeting between the two leaders.

In a caption accompanying the post, Yunashev speculated that the North Korean staffers were wiping out any traces of Kim’s presence in the room, noting that the staffers “took away the glass from which he drank, wiped the upholstery of the chair and those parts of the furniture that the Korean leader touched.”

After the meeting, Yunashev added, “Putin and Kim left the office very satisfied and went to drink tea in a more relaxed atmosphere.”

Yunashev is a reporter for the pro-Kremlin tabloid Life News; his Telegram bio describes him as a 15-year veteran of the Kremlin pool.

It is not immediately clear why the staff would clean the meeting room, but some genetics experts have suggested that DNA can be used to collect information on the health of world leaders.

Let’s take a look back at some of the most striking images from the parade - those featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The three leaders stood shoulder to shoulder in Beijing on Wednesday, in what marked the first time they have been pictured publicly together.

The trio appeared to be in good spirits, and were seen smiling and talking animatedly to each other throughout the day.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin walks with China's President Xi Jinping and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un before the military parade in Tiananmen Square on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at the parade.

Kim Jong Un arrives at the parade.

Putin, Xi and Kim walk together before the parade

Vladimir Putin greets Kim Jong Un after their bilateral meeting

The speaker of South Korea’s parliament, Woo Won-shik, shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the two watched a Chinese military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, marking the first known contact between Kim and a South Korean official since June 2019.

In that year, Kim met with then-US president Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at the Panmunjom, located within the Demilitarized Zone.