Putin and Kim to join Xi at Chinese military parade in show of defiance to the west

The Victory Day parade in Beijing on 3 September will mark the formal surrender of Japan during the second world war. No western leaders will attend

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are among the world leaders who will attend a military parade with President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week, in a show of collective defiance amid western pressure.

No western leaders will be among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade next week - with the exception of Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, a member of the European Union - according to the Chinese foreign ministry.