On September 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a joint statement in Beijing, stressing their nations’ shared responsibility to preserve the historical memory of World War II and the sacrifices endured by their peoples in defeating fascism. The meeting came on the eve of China’s large-scale military parade commemorating the end of the war in Asia, underscoring the deep symbolic and political significance of their message.

The encounter between the two leaders went beyond ceremonial acknowledgment of history. It carried strong contemporary undertones, reflecting both countries’ determination to counter what they perceive as Western attempts to rewrite the legacy of World War II and diminish the role of the Soviet Union and China. Against the backdrop of an increasingly divided international order, the joint appeal to history has become a tool of geopolitical positioning.

Both leaders emphasized their countries’ enormous sacrifices in World War II, presenting themselves as “major victor states” whose status was not only earned on the battlefield but enshrined in the architecture of the postwar order through their permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Xi described their mutual visits to commemorate anniversaries as “a good bilateral tradition,” reinforcing the idea that Russia and China bear a unique responsibility to safeguard historical truth.

For Putin, who regularly invokes the Soviet Union’s colossal losses during the Great Patriotic War, remembrance has always been central to legitimizing Russia’s role in global affairs. In........

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