As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for his heavily choreographed May 9 “Victory Day” military parade, he’s been clear who’s at the top of his guest list: Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a four-day state visit,

President Vladimir Putin noted that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would discuss bilateral and global issues at their summit in Moscow, as well as Russia’s supply of oil and gas to China, and cooperation within BRICS — the bloc of developing economies that initially included Brazil,

Russia marks on Friday the 80th anniversary of the Soviet and allied victory over Nazi Germany, though there are fears that Ukraine may seek to disrupt the most hallowed celebration in the Russian calendar.