Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in China for a multi-day visit as a Ukrainian official said Kyiv had “cut off” a Russian advance close to the key eastern town of Pokrovsk.
Why It Matters
Putin arrived in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Sunday for a security summit with a number of world leaders and officials, including Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Before the conference began, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and Modi pledged to strengthen strategic ties as the countries face significant tariffs on their exports to the U.S.
What To Know
Alongside, Xi, Putin and Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon are among other leaders due to attend the summit which will last two days.
Following the security conference, China will show off a range of “new-generation” hardware during a September 3 military parade—including some weapons never before seen in public—a senior defense official said.
The “V-Day” event marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the official end of World War II in the Pacific.
Xi is expected to survey tens of thousands of People’s Liberation Army troops parading with some of their most advanced weaponry at Tiananmen Square alongside 26 foreign leaders including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Putin.
No leaders from the United States or other major Western countries are expected to attend, in part because of their differences with Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine War Grinds On
Russian forces tried to push forward in a two-pronged attack around the settlement of Dobropillia, northwest of Pokrovsk, but were “cut off,” Viktor Trebugov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian forces operating in eastern Ukraine, said in remarks reported by domestic media.
Unspecified numbers of Russian soldiers are “hiding” in nearby wooded areas, Trebugov said, adding: “But since they are cut off from their main supply lines and larger forces, it is rather a matter of time before they are done there.”
Popular Ukrainian war blog Deep State said earlier this month that Russian soldiers were “actively advancing” around Dobropillia. The town is connected to several so-called “fortress cities” critical to Ukraine’s defense in Donetsk, namely Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk.
Deep State’s analysis described the clashes as “chaotic,” and that Russian troops had “found gaps in the defense.”
Trebugov said Russia had deployed approximately 110,000 soldiers to the area close to Pokrovsk in the early summer, but this figure had dropped to roughly 100,000.
What People Are Saying
The U.S.-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War—which tracks daily changes to the front lines—said on Saturday Russia had recently advanced northeast of Pokrovsk, in the village of Novoekonomichne to the southeast of Dobropillia.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday its forces had targeted Ukrainian troops in several Donetsk settlements, including Pokrovsk.
What Happens Next
Putin will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and watch a major military parade in Beijing alongside North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.
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