Putin Meets Xi at SCO Summit, Concedes China Has Concerns over Ukraine War
On Thurs., during his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin praised Beijing's "balanced position" with regard to the crisis. However, he also admitted he was aware that the Asian country had "concerns" over the war.
Facts
- On Thurs., during his first meeting with his Chinese counterpart since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin praised Beijing's "balanced position" with regard to the crisis. However, he also admitted he was aware that the Asian country had "concerns" over the war.
- The Kremlin leader attended attended the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit this week, along with Xi Jinping, in Uzbekistan.
- During the meeting, Putin and Xi vowed to "inject stability into a turbulent world," and exchanged promises to support each other's core interests, including in Ukraine and Taiwan.
- In Feb., they pledged a "no limits" friendship to each other, an announcement that was indicative of a new alignment between the nations. Since then, Beijing and Moscow have faced mounting pressure from the US and its allies over their actions in the Taiwan Strait and in Ukraine, respectively.
- Also on Thurs., Putin announced that Russia-owned company Gazprom is about to conclude the Soyuz Vostok gas pipeline project, a development that could see energy transfers from Russia to China and Mongolia increase by 20% this year.
- China has become a vital partner to Moscow since the West imposed sanctions on the Russian economy, and diplomatically isolated the Kremlin over the invasion of Ukraine.
Sources: FT, CNN, Washington Post, Bloomberg, RT, and Al Jazeera.
Narratives
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. Western sanctions are deeply unfair. The West is punishing and isolating Russia from the rest of the world, and understandably Beijing and Moscow are gravitating closer to each other. The budding friendship between Xi and Putin will create many opportunities for the people of both countries, and nations in the Islamic world may follow suit to resist Western hegemony.
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Atlantic. This new alliance won't be sustainable. Despite the possible short-term benefits for Russia and the PRC to align against the interests of the U.S. and its allies, a Moscow-Beijing axis would likely eventually jeopardize Xi's policy of non-interference in global affairs. China will likely tilt away from Russia to protect its geopolitical interests in the end.
