Opinion
Russia has become an albatross for Xi Jinping’s ambitions
Vladimir Putin’s debacle in Ukraine will have stunned China’s leaders, who had seen a key role for Moscow in pushing back against the West.
Kent HarringtonFormer CIA analystWagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin may have played his assigned role by reportedly meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on June 29. But notwithstanding the contrived show of unity, it will not have been lost on Chinese President Xi Jinping that Prigozhin’s highly public mutiny last month has profoundly weakened the Russian leadership.
With Ukraine on a counteroffensive and Russia’s battlefield losses mounting, Xi’s “no limits” partnership with Putin is quickly morphing into a military liability for China.
Project Syndicate
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