In his message, Kim said 75 years ago, the Russian people, displaying matchless heroism and self-sacrificing spirit, achieved a great victory in the great war of justice to destroy Fascism that posed a threat to the destiny of mankind, thus defending the country and protecting global peace and security.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to mark the occasion. China, Xi said, stands ready to work with Russia to firmly safeguard the fruits of the World War II (WWII) victory as well as international fairness and justice, support and practice multilateralism, and stay as determined as ever to build world peace, contribute to global prosperity and uphold the international order. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi extended warm congratulations to Putin and the Russian people on the occasion of the Victory Day, which falls on May 9. Putin, for his part, said Russia is willing to work with China to strengthen comprehensive strategic coordination and demonstrate their resolve to jointly maintain world peace.

Also to mark the occasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke by telephone on Friday and expressed a readiness to establish dialogue between the countries and to cooperate on bilateral issues, the Kremlin said.