内容摘要：Children sit nearby as Sadio Camara, a gold processor, vaporizes mercury to separate and retrieve gold at her home in the Kedougou region of Senegal on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Children sit nearby as Sadio Camara, a gold processor, vaporizes mercury to separate and retrieve gold at her home in the Kedougou region of Senegal on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

In welcoming Xi, Putin said that “the brotherhood of arms between our peoples, which developed during the harsh war years, is one of the fundamental foundations of modern Russian-Chinese relations.”He added that Moscow and Beijing were developing ties “for the benefit of the peoples of both countries and not against anyone.”

Xi, in turn, said that “history and reality have fully proved that the continuous development and deepening of China-Russia relations is a necessity for the friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation.” He also called for safeguarding “international fairness and justice.”Putin and Xi have met over 40 times and developed strong personal ties as both countries face tensions with the West.China offered robust diplomatic support to Moscow after its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has emerged as a top market for Russian oil and gas, helping to fill the Kremlin’s war coffers. Russia has relied on China as the main source of machinery and electronics to keep its military running after Western sanctions curtailed high-tech supplies.

Other foreign leaders who arrived in Moscow this week for the World War II anniversary celebrations included, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, as well as the leaders of Cuba, Vietnam and Venezuela, and presidents of several former Soviet nations.

In a brief opening speech at the Kremlin gala, Putin urged “solidarity in addressing the pressing challenges of our time and to take shared responsibility for future generations.”

The lineup of guests reflected Russia’s efforts to cement the alliances it has forged while seeking a counterbalance to the West amid the war in Ukraine. Some past celebrations drew top Western leaders at a time of friendlier ties.“He said, ‘If you don’t bother them, then they won’t bother you’,” she recalled.

When a bear came near in later years, after her father had died, her mom was scared.“Everything was like pandemonium. Everybody was yelling, and all the kids had to come in and everybody had to go home. And then we stayed silent in the house for a long time until we knew for sure that bear was gone, ” Berg recalled.

For Van Nest, the provincial officer, the group he came upon that day was plenty safe from a bear about 300 yards (meters) away. He said the bear was “putting on a bit of a show” for the tourists.“This is a great situation to be in,” he said. “The tourists are a safe distance away and the bear’s doing his natural thing and not being harassed by anybody.”