The leaders of the world’s most powerful autocracies recently met in Moscow for Russia’s annual May 9th ‘Victory Day’ military parade and related celebrations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin managed to triple the number of dignitaries present at this year’s Victory Day celebrations as compared to last year’s.
Cuban Dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel and other Cuban government officials were in attendance, alongside Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro, who signed an economic agreement with President Putin.
According to The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres, Dictator Maduro’s agreement with Russia is intended to mitigate the economic impacts of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Venezuela and other undemocratic states.
Other leaders attending included those of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
Notably, the summit also included leaders from some democratic countries whose governments cooperate or are sympathetic to Russia’s policy priorities.
For example, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi were in attendance.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was also present.
Last year, President Abbas raised eyebrows when he reportedly told Putin that he was “one of the dearest friends” of the Palestinian people.
As customary, the US did not send an official delegation to Russia’s military parade.
However, the US’s embassy in Russia commemorated the joint efforts by the Soviet Union, the US, and all other allies in defeating fascism during WW2.
“Eighty years ago, the Allied forces defeated the Nazi regime and the war in Europe finally ended,” reads a statement from the embassy. “We remember the sacrifice of the Russian people and honor the combined efforts of the American, Soviet, and other Allied forces whose sacrifices paid for the victory.”