Actually a bit wild to see Putin at that yoke with Xi and he's saying we understand you have "questions and concerns" about Ukraine and we're here to provide that
And Xi not even saying the word 'Ukraine', but laying it out how China supports Kazakhstan's sovereignty - like don't get any more invasion ideas, pal
The power dynamic completely one way
Putin like a supplicant, desperately needing Xi, and yet useful only to Xi for as long as he deems that necessary
Not used to seeing that from an alpha dog like Vlad
We're just a few years out from him playing the US president like he was a needy boyfriend
posted something a while back on the suggestion some of the former soviet states might be seeing an advantage in russia's extended war in Ukraine to assert their own local interests (also read something else this morning that as the russians have been pulling troops from bases in these countries it might contribute to this).
also saw this this morning:
Germany seizes assets of Russian oil giant Rosneft
Move is latest response to energy crisis
www.irishtimes.com
although in the medium term the chinese will probably take up the slack.
Explainer: Does China need more Russian gas via the Power-of-Siberia 2 pipeline?
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his counterparts from China and Mongolia on Thursday, where they discussed a major new infrastructure project, Power-of-Siberia 2, to deliver gas to China via Mongolia.
www.reuters.com
Explainer: Does China need more Russian gas via the Power-of-Siberia 2 pipeline?
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his counterparts from China and Mongolia on Thursday, where they discussed a major new infrastructure project, Power-of-Siberia 2, to deliver gas to China via Mongolia.
www.reuters.com