If you read the public statements that were published after the video conference by Scholz, Macron and Xi Jinping, there is still little chance that the Chinese head of state and party leader Putin will go to the parade.
The fact that the legitimate security interests of all countries must be taken seriously, as Xi was quoted as saying, has long been the formula with which China avoids siding with the Ukraine war.
Xi, on the other hand, openly says what is bothering him: the concern that the global economy could be damaged.
Growth is a very important factor in legitimizing the Chinese leadership.
Unlike perhaps in Moscow, no one in Beijing will underestimate the consequences of the western sanctions policy.
The fact that Xi is allowing his Russian allies to do as they please for the time being may also have something to do with the fact that China is strategically a potential beneficiary of the development.
America will not be able to engage in Asia as much as Biden intended for the foreseeable future.
And Putin is likely to emerge weakened from the conflict with the West, meaning he would ultimately become a dependent partner in the anti-Western alliance between Moscow and Beijing.
He no longer has many other allies. Washington is already collecting old Russian partners like Venezuela.
The price Putin is paying for grabbing Ukraine is getting higher by the day.