Putin visits Olympics, writes for Xinhua
Putin visits Olympics, writes for Xinhua
PRC stresses trade ties amid war clouds
The CCP appears to be downplaying Putin’s visit so far, at least to international audiences. While the CCP hasn’t tried to bury Putin’s visit, it hasn’t exactly sought to elevate it, either: Putin wrote an article for Xinhua, but Chinese state media outlets did not feature the interview prominently.
Putin and Xi could nevertheless make some public and highly symbolic gesture together at the Olympics Opening Ceremony. How will the PRC manage the optics of standing with Putin? We’ll find out soon.
PRC state media has been emphasizing China’s trade ties with Europe, perhaps warning Putin to respect its economic interests in the event of escalation. Indeed, there is a large and growing body of evidence that Putin will escalate soon. Russia banned the export of ammonium nitrate for two months, Donbas insurgents are claiming that Ukraine will attack soon, and Washington has accused Russia of planning to stage a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine.
I found some time to squeeze out a quick update – I’ll try to update again over the weekend with developments from the Xi-Putin meeting. If you’d like to see this week’s update for SupChina, you can find it here.
Table of Contents:
Putin’s Xinhua Article and CMG Interview
Putin Discusses Ukraine
War Clouds as Moscow Searches for a Pretext
PRC Messaging
China’s trade with Europe
Authoritarian Political Interference Campaigns: Europe edition
Mongolia and India
1) Putin’s Xinhua Article and CMG Interview
Full text of Putin's signed article for Xinhua – People’s Daily
A signed article by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin titled "Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership" was published by Xinhua News Agency on Thursday.
The following is the full text of the article:
Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership
Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
Our countries are close neighbours bound by centuries-old traditions of friendship and trust. We highly appreciate that Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, entering a new era, has reached an unprecedented level and become a model of efficiency, responsibility, and aspiration for the future…
The development of business ties will certainly be given special attention. There is every opportunity for this as our countries have substantial financial, industrial, technological and human resources allowing us to successfully resolve long-term development issues. Working together, we can achieve stable economic growth and improve the well-being of our citizens, strengthen our competitiveness, and stand together against today's risks and challenges. At the end of 2021, the volume of mutual trade increased by more than a third, exceeding the record level of 140 billion U.S. dollars. We are well on the way towards our goal of increasing the volume of trade to 200 billion U.S. dollars a year. [Comment: No deadline listed here, although Putin has previously set a target of $200 billion USD by 2024, which appears unattainable.] A number of important initiatives are being implemented in the investment, manufacturing, industrial and agricultural sectors….
A mutually beneficial energy partnership is being formed between our countries. Along with long-term oil and gas supplies to China, we have plans to implement a number of large-scale joint projects. The construction of four new power units at Chinese nuclear power plants with the participation of Rosatom State Corporation launched last year is one of them. All this significantly strengthens the energy security of China and the Asia region as a whole…
Certainly, an important part of the visit will be a discussion of relevant international topics. Foreign policy coordination between Russia and China is based on close and coinciding approaches to solving global and regional issues. Our countries play an important stabilizing role in today's challenging international environment, promoting greater democracy in the system of international relations to make it more equitable and inclusive. We are working together to strengthen the central coordinating role of the United Nations in global affairs and to prevent the international legal system, with the UN Charter at its centre, from being eroded.
Russia and China are actively cooperating on the broadest agenda within BRICS, the Russia-India-China framework, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as well as other multilateral frameworks. Comment: Putin’s inclusion of RIC (Russia-India-China) is notable, as India is one of the few plausible vectors that Putin’s Russia can use to plausibly balance against China.
Within the G20, we are committed to taking national specifics into account when formulating our recommendations, be it the fight against pandemics or the implementation of the climate agenda. Thanks to a large extent to our countries' shared solidarity, following the 2021 G20 Summit in Rome, informed decisions were made on international cooperation to restore economic growth, recognize vaccines and vaccine certificates, optimize energy transition, and reduce the risks of digitalization.
Comment: Not the top article on People’s Daily English edition. The CCP could be trying to downplay ties to Putin to external audiences (especially in Europe). Putin doesn’t mention Ukraine in the article, probably because he assumed that Beijing wouldn’t like it.
"Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership" – People’s Daily 俄罗斯和中国：着眼于未来的战略伙伴
Comment: Not given a prominent position in the People’s Daily Chinese-language edition, but note the very different article headlines for different audiences. English-language headline readers were greeted with “Full text of Putin's signed article for Xinhua” while Chinese-language readers (especially domestic audiences) received a more assertive headline, or “Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership.” Beijing may figure this posture provides a balanced approach: it offers a fig leaf of plausible deniability to self-interested, amoral types, upsets the “right” people, and may keep Moscow satisfied enough.
Interview with China Media Group – The Kremlin
Vladimir Putin: President Xi Jinping and I have known each other for a long time, as good friends and politicians who hold largely the same views on addressing the world's problems; we maintain close and frequent contact. That is why, I immediately responded to his invitation to visit China and to join our Chinese friends in celebrating this year's main sporting event – the Winter Olympic Games.
Shen Haixiong: Initially, China and Russia viewed each other as friendly nations and then they established the relations of constructive partnership, strategic partnership, comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. In June 2019, we took them to an even higher level, opening a new era in our relations. During a videoconference on 28 June 2021, you and President Xi Jinping announced the extension of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. How important do you think this step is for the bilateral relations?
Vladimir Putin: The Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation signed more than 20 years ago is a basic policy document that established the legal framework for a long-term consistent development of the Sino-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. That is why, on June 28 last year, President Xi Jinping and I decided to extend it for another five years.
It is a very rich document in terms of ideas contained in it, many of its provisions being rediscovered in the context of today's rapidly changing international environment.
Relations between Russia and China are developing on an equal, de-ideologised basis. Our partnership is sustainable, intrinsically valuable, not affected by the political climate and not aimed against anyone. It is underpinned by respect, regard for each other's core interests, adherence to international law and the UN Charter.
The atmosphere of political trust created, among other things, thanks to this treaty, has allowed our countries to establish a multilayer structure of interstate cooperation, with meetings of the two leaders playing a key role.
China remains firmly at the top of the list of Russia's trade partners. According to preliminary data, last year, even despite the pandemic-related restrictions, our bilateral trade reached a historic high, totalling 140 billion dollars.
China is our strategic partner in the international arena. Our approaches to most issues on the global agenda concur or are really close. We engage in close coordination within many leading multilateral organizations and formats, such as the UN, BRICS, SCO, G20, APEC and EAS, which has a stabilizing effect on the current difficult world situation. [comment: No mention of RIC, although the Russia-India-China trilateral is admittedly not as expansive as the other groupings listed]
To sum up, I would like to reiterate that the concepts laid out in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation have allowed our countries to achieve an unprecedentedly high level of partnership, fundamentally changed its character and scope, and created the conditions enabling us to move forward together. [comment: “Unprecedentedly high level” was originally the PRC’s characterization of bilateral ties, but Putin has embraced it]
2) Putin Discusses Ukraine
News conference following Russian-Hungarian talks – The Kremlin
Putin: Listen attentively to what I am saying. It is written into Ukraine’s doctrines that it wants to take Crimea back, by force if necessary. This is not what Ukrainian officials say in public. This is written in their documents.
Suppose Ukraine is a NATO member. It will be filled with weapons, modern offensive weapons will be deployed on its territory just like in Poland and Romania – who is going to prevent this. Suppose it starts operations in Crimea, not to mention Donbass for now. This is sovereign Russian territory. We consider this matter settled. Imagine that Ukraine is a NATO country and starts these military operations. What are we supposed to do? Fight against the NATO bloc? Has anyone given at least some thought to this? Apparently not.
Now, regarding the implementation of the Minsk agreements. On the one hand, we hear statements from Ukraine that it wants to implement them, while we are constantly accused of not implementing the Minsk agreements. On the other hand, we hear public statements to the effect that Ukraine will collapse if it carries out these agreements. Has anyone thought that if they create such threats against Russia, they will only be creating similar threats against themselves?
All these issues require very careful analysis and consideration for each other’s interests. We are being told that each country has the right to choose its own security system. We agree, but I still believe the United States is not that concerned about Ukraine’s security, though they may think about it on the sidelines. Its main goal is to contain Russia’s development. This is the whole point. In this sense, Ukraine is simply a tool to reach this goal.
This can be done in different ways: by drawing us into some armed conflict, or compelling its allies in Europe to impose tough sanctions on us like the US is talking about today, or by drawing Ukraine into NATO, deploying attack weapons there and encouraging some Banderites to resolve the issues of Donbass or Crimea by force. In this way, we could be drawn into an armed conflict regardless.
3) War Clouds as Moscow Searches for a Pretext
Moscow is considering filming a fake attack against Russian territory or Russian-speaking people by Ukrainian forces as a pretext to invade its neighbor, the Biden administration said Thursday, warning that the resulting propaganda footage could include “graphic scenes of a staged false explosion with corpses.”
Ukrainian army command expects heavy casualties in Donbass offensive — DPR intelligence – TASS
The intelligence of the People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has information that the Ukrainian military command expects heavy casualties in its planned aggression in Donbass, Deputy Head of the DPR People’s Militia Eduard Basurin said on Thursday.
Kiev requests embassies quietly ask foreigners to leave Donbass, says DPR top brass – TASS
The People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has evidence that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is asking foreign embassies to quietly and unofficially ask their citizens to leave Donbass, the People’s Militia’s deputy chief, Eduard Basurin, told a news briefing on Thursday. "The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is asking foreign embassies to quietly notify foreign citizens they should leave the zone of Kiev’s military operation in Donbass," he said.
Ukrainian military, US advisers draft plan for offensive in Donbass — Donetsk – TASS
The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces under the guidance of US military advisers is planning an offensive in Donbass, the deputy chief of the Donetsk People’s Republic’s militia, Eduard Basurin, told a news briefing on Friday.
"According to our intelligence, the Ukrainian General Staff under the guidance of US advisers at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry is putting final touches to a plan for an offensive operation in Donbass. The date of aggression against the people’s republics will be set when the attack groups have been created and the operation’s plan approved by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council," he said.
Russia introduces export ban on ammonium nitrate for two months — government – TASS
Russia imposed a ban on ammonium nitrate export for two months, until April 2, the government’s press service said on Tuesday. "The two-month ban on ammonium nitrate export comes into force from February 2. The relevant decree of the government was signed," the press service said.
"This is a temporary measure. The remaining volume can be exported from April 2, when Russian companies will receive the ammonium nitrate in required volume and the demand for it on the domestic market will pass peak values," First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov said.
Comment: I’m no military expert, but ammonium nitrate appears to be a component in military-grade explosives as well as improvised explosive devices (IEDs); it is also used as a fertilizer. There is no explanation for the sudden ban and appears to be yet another ominous sign.
Russia’s ban on ammonium nitrate exports very likely seeks to 1) send a direct but non-explicit threat of escalation; 2) keep this material out of the hands of potential Ukrainian insurgents; 3) pressure the Ukrainian agricultural sector; and/or 4) stockpile the material for use in its own explosives.
Lavrov admitted that there are forces ready to provoke military actions around Ukraine – TASS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not rule out the idea that there are forces that would like to provoke military actions around Ukraine.
"On the part of the Russian Federation, there won’t be a war [with Ukraine]. Yet I do not exclude that somebody would like to provoke military actions [around Ukraine]," he said in an interview with radio stations.
Meanwhile, according to the Russian top diplomat, Ukrainian authorities have no control over "an enormous number of servicemen" at the line of engagement in Donbass. "According to Western data, I think, there are even about 100,000 of them at the line of engagement. And the regime in Kiev does not control the majority of these armed people," he emphasized. "A significant part of the units located there are former volunteer battalions, types of territorial defense battalions, and people's resistance units," the diplomat explained.
Ukrainian military’s shelling leaves civilian wounded, DPR mission says – TASS
The Ukrainian military shelled the Alexandrovka settlement area in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in the early hours of Saturday, leaving a civilian wounded, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) said in a statement.
"As a result of a ceasefire violation by Ukrainian armed units, a man born in 1967 suffered a wound to his thigh," the statement reads.
4) PRC Messaging
China is celebrating the Chinese New Year and under a global gaze for hosting the Winter Olympics. Adding to its festive mood is Russian President Vladimir Putin's scheduled visit and attendance at the opening ceremony of the grand sports event. Nearly three years after Putin's last visit to China, the trip will witness the 38th meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Russian president since 2013…
The China-Russia relationship has grown into a big ship featuring the highest degree of mutual trust, the highest level of coordination and the highest strategic value. At the helm of the ship are the two heads of state.
From a series of joint statements announced during 2013 to 2017 to deepen China-Russia ties, to the upgrade of China-Russia relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era in 2019, each step forward in China-Russia relations can hardly be achieved without the two presidents' leadership.
Spearheaded by the two presidents, China-Russia cooperation, with an increasing quality and an expanding volume, has yielded outstanding fruits across traditional sectors and emerging industries. According to official figures, the trade between China and Russia reached a record high of more than 146 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, up nearly 36 percent year-on-year….
As Xi pointed out in a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2013, a high-level and strong China-Russia relationship is not only in the interests of both countries, but also serves as an important guarantee of international strategic balance and world peace and stability.
Also in the speech, Xi called for building a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at the core and, for the first time on an international occasion, laid out his signature global vision: building a community with a shared future for mankind…
Taking a clear-cut stand against certain countries' attempts to incite ideological conflict and confrontations over social systems, China and Russia have been advocating harmonious coexistence among different ethnic groups, systems and civilizations.
As the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games is around the corner, anticipation of the "get-together" between Xi and Putin is running high. The meeting promises to be a boost to this brilliant model of relationship between major countries, and is expected to inject a much-needed dose of stability and certainty into the world.
Comment: The CCP may be transmitting different messages about the meeting to different audiences. As I discussed in an earlier update for SupChina, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) said in a phone call with his Russian counterpart that China is willing to jointly ensure a“Winter Olympics Pact” (冬奥之约). Chinese embassies and the PD’s English-language edition have translated this as a gentler sounding “get-together.”
The tensions grew last week, as the United States sent two batches of military assistance to Ukraine as part of a military package worth 200 million U.S. dollars. Another batch of U.S. defensive aid arrived in Kiev on Tuesday.
Some Ukrainian experts believed such panic of a possible conflict is artificially fomented. Igor Petrenko, an analyst at the International Center for Advanced Study, said the United States and Russia seem to be raising stakes ahead of possible dialogue between the two sides in the future.
Amid mounting tensions regarding Ukraine, Russian and U.S. officials held talks on Jan. 10 and Jan. 21 in Geneva. Russian representatives and NATO officials also held negotiations on Jan. 12 in Brussels. However, the talks have all ended without major breakthrough as expected, as related sides reportedly failed to find common ground on some issues, including NATO's non-expansion, a key demand from Moscow.
KIEV, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Relations between Ukraine and Russia have deteriorated recently, with both sides allegedly massing large numbers of military personnel and equipment in their border areas.
Meanwhile, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are stepping up military activities in Eastern Europe amid tensions regarding Ukraine, despite Russia's warning that strengthened NATO presence near its borders are a "national security threat."
Attempts to defuse the tensions have come up with scarcely any results, as the latest talks between related sides have achieved no major breakthroughs. And yet experts believe diplomatic options remain.
Since November, Kiev and some western countries have accused Russia of assembling heavy troops near the Ukrainian border with a possible intention of "invasion." Comment: This sentence differentiates between “Kiev” and the west while putting scare quotes around “invasion.”
Denying any intention to attack any country, Russia said it has the right to mobilize troops within its borders to defend its territory, as NATO's increasing military activities near Russia's borders constitute a threat to Russia's border security...
Amid mounting tensions regarding Ukraine, Russian and U.S. officials held talks on Jan. 10 and Jan. 21 in Geneva. Russian representatives and NATO officials also held negotiations on Jan. 12 in Brussels.
However, the talks have all ended without major breakthrough as expected [bolded by The Report], as related sides reportedly failed to find common ground on some issues, including NATO's non-expansion, a key demand from Moscow.
Last month, Kremlin issued a set of demands to the United States and NATO, including a promise that the military bloc would not expand further eastward, according to U.S. media reports.
Moscow also wants NATO to promise that Ukraine will never be added as a member, that no alliance weapons will be deployed near Russian borders, and that it pulls back its forces from Central and Eastern Europe.
Many Ukrainian experts believed NATO is unlikely to make concessions on the non-expansion issue, and the only way out is to persuade Kiev to reconsider its intentions to join NATO.
"If Ukraine itself decides to abandon its plans to join NATO, adopting neutral status and decentralization with broad rights for the regions, then the conflict will be settled automatically," said Chalenko.
Comment: Note the odd phrasing of the title: “related parties.” PD appears to be straining itself to avoid linking Russia to any violence in Ukraine
Blinken briefed Wang Yi on the U.S. position on the Ukrainian issue, among others. Wang Yi said, to solve the Ukrainian issue, it is still necessary to return to the new Minsk agreement. The new Minsk agreement, endorsed by the UN Security Council, is a basic political document recognized by all parties and should be implemented earnestly. China will support any effort that conforms to the direction and spirit of this agreement. At the same time, we call on all parties to remain calm and refrain from inflaming tensions or hyping up the crisis. Wang Yi stressed, the security of one country should not be at the expense of the security of others, and regional security should not be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs. Today in the 21st century, all parties should completely abandon the Cold War mentality, and form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiations, with Russia's legitimate security concerns being taken seriously and addressed.
Washington and its allies persistently impose their own vision of the world, speaking about the need to establish and respect “a rules-based order.” In the framework of this concept, Washington misappropriates the right to draft rules in many diverse areas. In the process it completely ignores the principle of genuine, universal multilateralism that is embodied in the UN, thereby undermining international law and the UN-centric architecture of international ties. “Dissenters” pursuing independent policy, primarily our country and the People’s Republic of China, are subjected to punishment through improper instruments, including the various sanctions, demonisation in the media, and provocations by secret services, to name a few.
The Russian-Chinese strategic partnership is a good example of how to conduct interstate relations in the 21st century. In some aspects, it has reached a more advanced level than conventional military-political alliances. The privileged strategic partnership with India is making progress. Our ties with the majority of our partners in the Asia-Pacific region, including with the rapidly developing ASEAN states, are expanding. All of that helps lay the groundwork for realising President Putin's initiative to form the Greater Eurasian Partnership. We see it as a continent-wide approach to economic and cultural cooperation, and in a broader sense, a material basis for building the security architecture of Eurasia. Importantly, the doors to the partnership that we are proposing are open to all countries and associations of our common and vast Eurasian continent.
Washington’s ‘Great Game’ targets Moscow, Beijing, Chinese political scientist says – TASS
The "Great Game" begun by Washington around NATO’s eastward expansion along with the Ukrainian crisis concerns stability, security and peace in the entire Eurasian space while in broader terms it targets both Russia and China, expert of the Global Issues Research Center at the Xinhua news agency Wan Chengcai told TASS on Monday.
5) China’s trade with Europe
China-Europe freight trains boost interconnectivity, mutual benefits – People’s Daily
By Jan. 19, the city of Wuhan had sent out 11 China-Europe freight trains this year, transporting a total of 921 tonnes of COVID-19 prevention goods.
Looking ahead, the China State Railway Group is working to improve its overseas network by opening new routes that travel across the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea, as well as countries such as Ukraine and Finland. [Bolded by The Report]
And the China-Europe freight train service is set to play an even bigger role as countries along the routes seek higher-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Official data showed that the total imports and exports between China and the European Union gained 27.5 percent in 2021 to reach 828.11 billion U.S. dollars. China remains the EU's largest trading partner, while the EU is China's second largest trading partner.
Economic Watch: China-Europe trade shows resilience with strong performance in 2021 – People’s Daily
Trade between China and European countries saw robust growth in 2021, exhibiting vigor and resilience in their economic cooperation in spite of a weak global recovery hobbled by the unabated spread of COVID-19.
Official data showed China's trade with the European Union (EU) in 2021 amounted to 828.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 27.5 percent year on year. China remained the EU's largest trading partner, while the EU was China's second largest trading partner.
Comment: The People’s Daily pointedly paired its Russia trade article with this piece, which was published on the same day. The CCP doesn’t want a war over Ukraine to disrupt its trade or economic growth, particularly ahead of the 2022 Party Congress.
6) Authoritarian Political Interference Campaigns: Europe edition
Putin: Our talks with the Prime Minister took place in a constructive and businesslike atmosphere, which is traditional for Russian-Hungarian relations. I can say that we have discussed most of the issues we wanted to review. Our meeting lasted for almost five hours.
We discussed in detail the entire package of bilateral cooperation issues. We reviewed the results of implementing the agreements reached during our visit to Budapest in 2019. We mapped out new and large plans for cooperation in the future. Naturally, we also reviewed a number of current international and regional issues….
I will emphasise that Hungary is one of Russia’s most important partners in Europe. Despite the complicated situation with the coronavirus pandemic, our trade in 11 months of last year increased by 30 percent – up to US$5.5 billion. Reciprocal investment is almost US$1 billion….
Russia supplies Hungary with natural gas under long-term contracts that were extended last year to 2036. Thus, Hungarian consumers can buy gas at prices below the market spot prices that have substantially increased in Europe recently. [bolded by The Report]
Orban: We have met in an unusual format because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and I have never sat at such a long table before. [Comment: Putin has been extremely cautious during COVID, with a few notable exceptions. Putin’s ostentatious COVID caution at the Orban meeting was likely due to the imminent in-person meeting with Xi.] Nevertheless, despite the distance, I am quite satisfied with the fact that you and I have managed to discuss all topical matters for so long and in such a detailed manner…
I am here on a peacemaking visit because I was able to highlight that the European Union is a unified entity. This means that not a single EU leader wants a conflict with the Russian Federation to flare up. This is particularly important for us in Central Europe…
The Hungarian model exists in politics: we are members of NATO and the European Union. Nevertheless, we can maintain excellent relations with Russia. This is possible. What do we need for this? We need mutual respect. Hungary has always been respected by President Putin, and we also show such respect for the Russian Federation and President Putin….
We have also managed to establish a joint railway company through Russian-Hungarian cooperation. The newly established multimodal terminal plays a very important role in cargo shipments from the East, from China to Western Europe. This joint railway venture will play an important part in providing such an opportunity….
The same concerns a railway to bypass Budapest. The Prime Minister has raised this issue. I believe that we will resolve it. He does not know yet: I received additional information from Russian Railways on my way here. This concerns additional funding from the credit line. It appears that this project can receive $2 billion, and it will be possible to build a route bypassing Budapest.
Loan to Le Pen Would Be a ‘Good Deal,’ Hungarian Minister Says [Feb 3rd] – Bloomberg
Minister denies knowledge of specific loan to Le Pen’s party
Comment: Two days after the Orban-Putin meeting. Wonder what was discussed. Would Beijing approve of Putin bankrolling Le Pen (again)?
When French politician Marine Le Pen needed cash for her far-right party, an obscure Russian bank agreed to help.
7) Mongolia and India
Russia informs India about its vision of the situation around Ukraine — senior diplomat – TASS
Russia has informed India about its vision of the situation around Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Monday after consultations in New Delhi.
"This issue (about Ukraine and the West’s anti-Russian sanctions - TASS) was raise. We informed the Indian side about our point of view about what is going on around Ukraine and on the tensions fanned by the Western nations, NATO and the United States," he said.
"We also touched upon issues of insuring strategic stability in this area, the more so as Russia has repeatedly voiced its point of view publicly, and we once again communicated it to the Indian friends," he added.
Comment: India, Vietnam, and Mongolia will be watching the crisis in Ukraine very intently. If Russia invades Ukraine, it will become more dependent on a much larger power, decreasing its ability to serve as a reliable security partner or a counterweight to China.
v/r,
Joe Webster
The China-Russia Report is an independent, nonpartisan newsletter covering political, economic, and security affairs within and between China and Russia. All articles, comments, op-eds, etc represent only the personal opinion of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the position(s) of The China-Russia Report.