The Kremlin has denied President Donald Trump’s assertion that Russia, China and North Korea “conspire” against the U.S.
Trump made the accusation against the three allies as Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a lavish military parade in Beijing.
Newsweek contacted the White House by email outside office hours to seek clarification on the president’s comment. Newsweek also reached out to the Chinese foreign ministry and North Korea’s embassy in Beijing to seek their reactions.
Why It Matters
Xi greeted Putin and Kim in Beijing in a major show of unity and defiance toward what all three of those leaders see as a world illegitimately dominated by the United States.
Trump’s seemingly blunt message would appear to throw the confrontation between the two global blocs into sharp focus at a time that Trump is trying to engage Putin in efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, left, walks with China’s President Xi Jinping and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, right, before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of…
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, left, walks with China’s President Xi Jinping and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, right, before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025.
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Getty Images/Alexander Kazakov/POOL/AFP
What To Know
Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Trump may have been being ironic when he said Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un were plotting a conspiracy against America at a huge military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
“I want to say that no one was plotting [against the U.S.], no one was weaving anything, no conspiracies. Moreover, no one even had this in mind, none of these three leaders [of the Russian Federation, China and the DPRK] had it,” Ushakov said, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
“In addition, I can say that everyone understands the role that the United States, the current administration of President Trump, and President Trump personally play in the current international situation,” he said.
Speaking on Russian state television, Ushakov said that Trump’s statement was made “not without irony.”
Trump had earlier posted on his Truth Social platform about China’s military parade at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the official end of World War II in the Pacific.
The leaders of some 26 countries are attending but none from the U.S. or other major Western nations attended.
As the parade got underway in Beijing, with Xi, Putin and Kim were watching together from a rostrum, Trump asked if the U.S. effort to defeat Japan in World War II would be acknowledged.
“The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and ‘blood’ that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader. Many Americans died in China’s quest for Victory and Glory. I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice!” Trump said.
“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
He did not elaborate.
What People Are Saying
Senior North Korean foreign ministry official Kim Chon Il said in a statement on Monday denouncing the U.S. and its two east Asian allies, Japan and South Korea: “The more the U.S. persists in its anachronistic and malicious hostile acts against the DPRK through the intensified collaboration with its satellite countries, the more distrust and hostility will be piled up between the DPRK and the U.S.”
What Happens Next
China, Russia and North Korea will likely try to determine exactly what Trump meant by his comment.
Update 9/03/2025 4:45 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.