Telling truth to absolute power
What an incredibly brave person - literally telling the truth to absolute power.
I cannot imagine the fate of this person now.
My read of Putin’s trip to Mariupol is that this was all PR for the Xi visit. Note that Putin always escalates before major negotiations and I guess this time around Putin had limited escalation options - anything which has global market implications hurts China. So it was “look at me, I can drive around Mariupol at night”!
Guess post ICC indictment for war crimes Putin also wanted to send a message that he does not care and occupied territories are Russian. Guess that intends to draw a line with Xi, albeit how that squares with Xi’s 12 point peace plan and point one, respect for countries’ sovereignty is hard to figure. And Ukraine will never accept that.
Still, Putin is weak, coming into these negotiations from real vulnerability. Wonder what price Xi will extract for saving Putin? Putin is desperate as the longer this war goes on the worse it gets for him and the ultimate winner, Ukraine and the US.
Notable that with the on-going banking crisis, Xi will be nervous about the strength of the global economy - something the US and China have a common interest in saving. Putin’s war in Ukraine is an added complication there - remember in 08’ China worked with G8 (as was then), then G20 to bring us thru the GFC.
On Xi’s trip - he has to get something out of it. What’s that?
Xi faces a choice of doubling down to back Putin and arm him to sustain the war in Ukraine or push some peace efforts. The first would just lose the global south and send the Global economy south, so I still think China wants to give Putin an off ramp.
See my further thoughts below:
https://kyivindependent.com/opinion/timothy-ash-is-china-serious-about-peace