Yesterday, chairman Xi Jinping had talks with Putin and then left.
There's a debate in Russian propaganda outlets about whether Xi promised to return and what this meeting actually meant.
However, the meeting didn't seem to lift the spirits of Putin's supporters or war enthusiasts.
In fact, it made them even gloomier.
No promises were made regarding weapons supplies or any help at all, no statements,
including by the Russian president himself, which could be interpreted in Putin’s favor.
What was stated, though, plays very much into China’s hands. Let’s discuss it today.
An interesting aspect of the situation is Zelenskyy's recent visit to the war zone. While Putin was busy trying to please China,
Zelenskyy was supporting his army near Bakhmut, and there's something highly symbolic in this.
So, what is the primary source of social support for Putin's regime?
Who supports his actions both inside and outside of Russia?
Apart from the loyalists, who get their information from TV and don't really have any say,
we can see that the core supporters are people with very specific views.
Nationalists, imperialists, and various xenophobes make up this demographic.
These people, referred to as the "party of united obscurantists" by political commentator Ekaterina Shulman,
seemingly got what they had long dreamed of: external aggression and more hostile domestic policies,
a crackdown on those they considered enemies and traitors, and a shift toward some sham traditionalism.
In short, they wanted a "powerful state," and they got it.
But not for long, only as long as missiles flew, tank columns moved,
and every headline sparkled the images of capturing Kyiv oh very soon.
But then things went downhill.
The persecution of LGBTQ+, the removal of "subversive and depraved" literature from bookstores,
the steamrolling of liberal media, and the ousting of dissenters from the country were all touted as achievements.
But the frontline situation and foreign policy plight were anything but glorious.
For a while, they managed to delude themselves into thinking that the situation wasn't as dire as it appeared,
believing that "we haven't really started yet" – but just watch us!
However, each time the Russian army retreated and threats plus ultimatums amounted to bombastic blah-blah,
things only deteriorated.
Western leaders eventually shook off their timidity and began responding to Putin with the firmness he warranted.
This shift left the pro-war crowd disheartened, leading to the emergence of the whining warmongers phenomenon,
which rapidly gained traction.
Turns out our army is worthless and no one fears us anymore. They do as they please.
To add insult to injury, the ICC subpoenas our president, putting him in the same category as leaders
of countries that even the most passionate armchair patriots will be hard-pressed to find on a map.
The problem isn't that someone considers Putin a war criminal, screw that.
It’s just that the ICC has no fear, and we can’t do crap about it.
The face-to-face meeting with President Xi aimed to reverse this sentiment, among other things.
The idea was to show that things are going well, Russia still belongs among the great powers,
and the Russian leader remains a political heavy-hitter, albeit limited to Asia.
However, the result was the exact opposite.
The pro-war crowd must have noticed the simple fact that this was hardly a meeting of equals.
While Xi calmly observed the proceedings and remained silent — so much so that there wasn't a single newsworthy quote —
Putin was fumbling with papers, focusing solely on China's interests.
Russia wasn't even mentioned by Putin as a state whose interests should be considered.
The man who brazenly taunted the entire NATO just a year ago suddenly finds himself in the shoes
of any of his own governors, fearing to stray from the script and say something wrong.
And who's he cowering to?
Let's not forget that the pro-war crowd, among other things, harbors some deep-seated racist views.
From their perspective, it's not just the Russian president kowtowing to the Chinese leader –
it's a Russian Tsar humbling himself before an Asian.
OVERLORD, AT BEST
And what is Chinese leader doing in the meantime?
When we’re talking about Ukraine and its allies, it’s all clear.
They might be dragging their feet and struggling to make calls, but they do make them.
They're supplying weapons, ammo, intel, and money.
Helping Ukraine is the main foreign policy focus for dozens of large countries, and everything else is being postponed
until after the war.
If any European nation remains silent about a new aid package for even a month, everyone's gonna notice
and throw some shade. And It's working.
Ukraine isn't just defending itself; it's also pushing back against the Russian front.
Now Russia, on the other hand, is reactivating old T-54 tanks.
We're talking about tanks designed during WW2 and commissioned in 1947, now being sent westward.
These tanks were around when Stalin was still alive, and they're as old as the first Kalashnikov.
And now they're heading to the frontlines, manned by the great-grandkids of their first operators.
Just two months ago, they were working regular jobs and had never laid eyes on a tank outside of a parade.
Needless to say, this is hardly a winning strategy.
Russian troops are running critically low on ammo.
Yeah, Ukraine's got shortages, too, but the European Union is already
on board with a plan to pump out a million 155mm shells.
China's got more than enough hardware, ammo, and spare parts to go around. They could lend a hand big time.
But here's the thing: there's not even a whisper about that happening. No pleas or even subtle hints.
It's crystal clear that China isn't gonna jump into this war head-on. For Putin, China is an overlord, not an ally.
Here’s how it looks from a die-hard warmonger’s perspective. While our guys are burning in old tanks
that were around back when Biden was a toddler, while our army is dying due to lack of resources,
while conscripts’ families, war advocates, and Prigozhin keep trying to reach out to Putin with their complaints and pleas —
the man’s busy cowering to the Chinese and bragging that Russia Incorporated
will hit its financial targets and KPIs ahead of time.
Wherever Zelenskyy goes and whoever he talks to, he’s scoring help for his army.
Give us ammo, he says, give us tanks, planes, and IFVs.
His every meeting is all about securing support for his army and his people.
But when Putin is around his boss from China, he doesn’t dare to even mention helping his own people.
He won’t mention that his army desperately needs the resources that China has a lot of.
The worst part isn’t that he won’t bring up any of it, but that everyone involved can see it.
Xi’s more than willing to hear the flattery, but any mention of important steps to be made ends a meeting real quick.
China isn’t Russia’s ally, but Putin is certainly an ally to China. To China, but not his own army. This is what it looks like.
WHAT ABOUT THE BENEFITS?
It’s certainly nice to see how desperate now are those who craved imperial glory and strategic dominance.
How they now must wrap their heads around this conundrum and accept the fact
that the great Russian tsar is fawning over Xi. But this is all immaterial.
The real issue is that there isn’t much for us to celebrate, either.
We have reached the point where Russian foreign policy has turned into an embarrassing eyesore.
The focus is no longer on finding allies, but on a desperate search for those
who wouldn’t outright shun us and impose sanctions.
It is at this meeting that the difference between a sound foreign policy and that of Putin has become crystal clear.
An external policy, being the extension of the domestic one, must normally serve internal interests.
It’s quite obvious what China wants: they want to bring down the cost of this war for them and maximize profits.
Chinese companies are quite happy that the Russian market is now theirs for the taking.
Chinese energy and industrial complexes are even better off now that oil and gas prices are set in Beijing.
So Mr. Xi comes to Moscow to dictate his country’s will. It’s a true “working visit”
because Xi works for his nation’s benefit, not his own.
According to Putin’s twisted worldview, in his fantasy world of never-ending reenactment and geopolitical fantasies,
things must work in reverse.
In his world, domestic policy and Russia’s interests only exist to serve his geopolitical ambitions.
And just to show that the rumors of international isolation are greatly exaggerated and
that he is still a fixture in global politics, Putin is willing to sacrifice everything.
He’s willing to accept any terms and give Xi everything he wants just to have him come to Moscow.
And while Xi works for the benefit of his country, Putin works for his own vanity and geopolitical daydreaming.
We’ve already talked about the various ways China benefits from cooperating with Putin in our previous video.
But notice how no one, not us, not any other independent influencers, talks about what’s in it for Russia.
Because clearly Russia has nothing to gain from it.
Not Putin, though. For Putin, it’s a way of proving to the elites that althugh the West wants nothing to do with him,
he’s still kicking it and still has an external legitimacy.
And not a single word about how this cooperation could be useful for Russia.
Russia is handing over its energy resources and its domestic market for pennies.
Russia is willing to go overboard to please China and doesn’t expect anything substantial in return.
A kind word and a nod of approval maybe, and that’s it. And everyone knows it.
China is acutely aware of its role in the negotiations. It knows full well that Putin has no bargaining chips,
there’s no mutually beneficial agreement happening. It’s all about China getting precisely what they want.
As much as we might enjoy watching warmongers squirm over Russia’s new role on the global stage,
we must realize that Putin will eventually be gone.
And then not only will we have to pay the bill to rebuild Ukraine, which would be fair,
just, and not too overwhelming really.
But we’ll also have to spend ages restoring Russia’s agency in international relations
and see to it that it acts in the best interest of its citizens and its economy, instead of doing anything
and everything just to get a smile and a nod from a VIP foreigner.
See you tomorrow.