Xi Jinping has taken a parallel attitude between the "hegemony" of modern America and the "arrogant fascist power" 80 years ago, ahead of Thursday's Moscow summit with Vladimir Putin and World War II "Victory Day" celebrations.

The Chinese and Russian presidents are using the visit to show their strength against the U.S.-led international order as President Donald Trump releases tariffs on Beijing and tries to push Moscow toward a peaceful deal with Ukraine.

"World justice forces, including China and the Soviet Union, fought bravely, defeating the arrogant fascist forces side by side," Xi Jinping wrote in an article published in Russian and Chinese media. "80 years later, hegemony and bullying are extremely harmful. Humanity is once again at the crossroads."

Moscow sent similar notes at Thursday's summit, making its debut between Putin and Xi Jinping since Trump took office in January and stepped up the trade war.

Russia's foreign ministry said the meeting would "send a powerful signal against rewriting the outcome of World War II" and that Europe "prepare for a war with Russia like the Third Reich", the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The two leaders will have to overcome some challenges as China hopes to improve its relations with Europe after its hit with U.S. tariffs - and Beijing is also concerned that Trump-Pudin Dedint could impact its partnership with Russia.

On Friday, Xi will join 28 other foreign leaders in the Red Square parade for the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet World War II, including Luizináciolula lula da Silva in Brazil, Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia and Robert Fico in Slovakia.

Ukrainian drones went on strike in Russia for three days, which forced the preparations to close Moscow airport for several hours.

The Kremlin hopes that Xi Jinping’s image of Russian military power emphasizes how it overcomes the Western years of attempts to invade Moscow in Ukraine. Putin justified the war by making a baseless comparison between the Kiev government and Nazi Germany.

Beijing did not openly occupy a place in the war, but weather sanctions that helped Moscow have soared bilateral trade from $147 billion in 2021 to $2.45 billion last year.

However, bilateral exports have slowed to their lowest levels in recent months due to falling prices of Russian hydrocarbons and falling demand for Chinese cars.

"The economic relationship between China and Russia is already high, partly because of the war in Ukraine and there may not be many other potentials," said Lee Ming-Jiange, a professor at South-South Technical University in Singapore.

Carnegie, the European Center for Russia, said that to develop large-scale trade with Russia, China will need to consider ambitious infrastructure projects, such as the long-term extension of the Siberia-2 gas pipeline, which has proven to be unwilling to do so.

He added that Russia has struggled with high war-driven inflation and has limited ability to absorb more Chinese goods.

But if Trump refuses to reach an agreement with China on tariffs, Beijing may "stop caring" about sanctions against Russia. "If there is a 125% tariff, they can tell the US to screw itself up and do whatever they want with Russia," he said.

The U.S. trade war also brought Beijing closer to Europe, but it could limit the distance XI could deepen its ties with Russia. Some Chinese scholars say that if it is just to simplify relations with Europe, the country will be eager to see Russia and Ukraine sign a peace agreement with Ukraine.

"If the war can end, then China can eventually end this rope law with Russia and the West and rebuild a more stable relationship between the great powers. The Ukrainian war always plagues China," said Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Studies, Nanjing University.

Lee from South South Technical University said that while China will not openly disagree with Russia, “I would not be surprised if Chinese officials quietly… send out some information that may help reassure Europeans, so that China will try to quietly play a beneficial role in the ceasefire agreement”.

Xi Jinping did not mention Ukraine in his article. Instead, he attacked the "war criminals" of World War II, describing China and Russia as "constructive forces maintaining global strategic stability" and calling for the uphold of the UN Charter.

But analysts say his message will draw attention given Putin's message since World War II has launched the biggest conflict in Europe, violated UN rules and was charged with war crimes.

"People will see irony and contradictions," Lee said. "For other members of the international community, this will certainly undermine the effectiveness of these Chinese narratives."