Moscow has denied US President Donald Trump’s accusation that the Russian, Chinese, and North Korean leaders were conspiring against Washington amid a massive parade held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
“I want to say that no one was plotting (against the US), no one was weaving anything, no conspiracies. Moreover, no one even had this in their thoughts; none of these three leaders had it,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin in an interview shared on his Telegram account on Wednesday.
Ushakov’s remarks came following a massive parade hosted by China to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, which was attended by a number of foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Beijing officially refers to the 1937-1945 period as the "War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression" and considers it a crucial part of the broader "World Anti-Fascist War."
“In addition, I can say that everyone understands what role the United States, the current administration of President Trump and President Trump personally play in the current international situation,” Ushakov said, adding he thinks Trump’s remarks were “not without irony.”
In later remarks to journalists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also commented on Trump's statement, expressing hope that the US president's remarks were meant in "some figurative sense, especially since no one is plotting anything."
He noted that Russia's relations with its eastern partners, especially China and North Korea, in multilateral formats are "carried out for the good," and not against any particular state.
A day earlier, Trump accused Putin, Xi, and Kim of conspiring against the US in a post on his social media company Truth Social, noting that many Americans lost their lives in China's struggle for victory in World War II, and stating his hope that their bravery and sacrifice would be "rightfully Honoured and Remembered."
