Vladimir Putin Is Meeting Xi Jinping To Discuss The Russia Ukraine War
Vladimir Putin is meeting Xi Jinping to discuss the Russia Ukraine war. It is Putin’s first trip abroad since “winning” re-election in March. China is trying to position itself as a possible broker of peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. Putin claims he is open to Chinese solutions to the war.
15 months into the war, Russia is trying to make gains on the Ukrainian territory they have stolen so far. While Ukrainian forces have been forced to retreat in certain areas as a result of delayed aid from the US-led West, with aid to Ukraine finally passed, Ukraine will likely be able to stem the Russian advance.
It is unclear whether the US will give another similar sized aid package next year, but for the foreseeable future, Ukraine should be safe from total collapse. That leaves negotiation on the table. As China has been quite friendly to Russia, it is not surprising that Russia has claimed openness to discuss a solution with China.
Russia has increasingly turned to China for economic and security support during their invasion of Ukraine. Last year, China issued a 12 point plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine. US and EU officials have dismissed the plan as an attempt to distract from China’s pro-Russia stance and actions.
Putin said China’s contribution showed it understands the roots of the Ukraine crisis. But don’t be fooled. China is not a peacemaker in the world. All of their actions are calculated, done in self interest, and with a desire to end US Hegemony in the world.
Putin even talked about Xi’s commitment to a “just, multipolar world.” All talk of a multipolar world from the Chinese or Russians is code for abandoning the rules based world order, and weakening US power. While in theory, a multipolar world order could be beneficial, in practice, a US-led world of rules and liberal democracy is better than a world in which autocratic China and Russia control large chunks of the globe.
It is popular among certain audiences to yearn for a world less dominated by the US and the West. Of course the US and West have made mistakes. But people lack proper context. In the history of the world, there has always been oppression and suffering. But the US-led world has seen an unprecedented amount of peace, prosperity and democracy around the world.
Vladimir Putin is meeting Xi Jinping to discuss the Russia Ukraine war. while the two men may feign good faith goals towards peace, do not be fooled. This is all theater meant to advance Russia and China’s interests. It is not meant to help Ukraine or bring long lasting peace.