Putin, Xi, and Kim set to unite at major military parade

Kim Jong Un will join Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at a major military parade in Beijing next week, North Korean and Chinese state media have announced.

The dictator will make the rare trip abroad as China marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Mr Putin's presence had already been confirmed.

He and Mr Kim will be among 26 foreign leaders at the event, with none expected from the US or Western Europe. Myanmar's military junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a coup four years ago, will also attend the summit, according to the country's state media.

China, Russia, and North Korea are close allies. Beijing has long been Pyongyang's biggest aid and trading partner, while Mr Kim has been providing the Russian president with troops for his war in Ukraine.

There are currently no details of exactly when and for how long Mr Kim will be in China. It's set to be his first visit in some six years - before the pandemic.

Hong Lei, assistant foreign minister of China, said the country would "warmly welcome" Mr Kim and that "maintaining, consolidating, and developing" relations between the two countries' governments was a priority. Asked what message China was sending by hosting Mr Putin, Mr Lei said the Russian president's attendance at commemorative events "further demonstrates the high level of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era and declares the unity and solidarity between China and Russia".

He added: "Facing an international landscape fraught with both change and turmoil, China and Russia, as founding members of the UN and permanent members of the Security Council, will continue to uphold the authority of the United Nations and international fairness and justice." It may not be the last of Mr Kim's major global summits of the year, with Donald Trump having said earlier this week he fancies another meeting with the North Korean. The pair had an unprecedented meeting during the US president's first term, and he's suggested they could reunite later this year..