Moscow's grand avenues, like every year in early May, were taken over by the growling of 80-year-old tanks and the smell of gasoline burned by military vehicles. To the delight of many locals, soldiers marched in multiple rehearsals for the May 9 Victory Day Parade in the week leading up to the actual event.

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul that he said should be aimed at achieving a durable peace and eliminating the root causes of the war.

During their May 8 meeting, Xi expressed hope for a “fair, lasting and binding peace deal that is accepted by all parties involved” through dialogue, though he did not define “fair”. The statement echoes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s March call for a “fair and durable peace deal that is binding and accepted by all the parties concerned”.