Vladimir Putin snubs peace diktats and European pressure to reveal his intentions for the face-to-face meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky by Monday. And he retaliates. The Russian president, traveling to China to meet allies and partners for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit , chaired in Tianjin by his "friend" Xi Jinping , deals a sinister blow. " Japanese militarism is being revived under the pretext of imaginary Russian or Chinese threats , while in Europe , including Germany, steps are being taken toward the remilitarization of the continent, with little regard for historical parallels ," the Kremlin leader warns in a written interview with the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, lavishing praise on host Xi.

" We expect the summit to give the Organization a new, powerful impetus " to help " shape a more equitable multipolar world order ," the Tsar noted of the meeting, the largest since its founding in 2001, with the presence of over 20 heads of state and government , and dozens of representatives of international organizations such as the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

THE SUMMIT – Today and tomorrow's meeting in Tianjin also includes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , on his first visit to China in seven years, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , in Xi's new effort to unite the Global South. Although absent, the United States is at the center of attention due to the American president's tariff hikes, along with Russia's war on Ukraine (just weeks before the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska) and tensions in the Middle East, given the presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The Donald's tariffs are set to gain traction and give Xi the opportunity to push forward his plans for a new China-centric international order, launched a decade ago and codified at the UN in 2023. With his three "Global Initiatives" on security, development, and civilization, Xi is challenging the West with a vision of China's rise that differs from that of past hegemons. But it won't be easy, given the players involved.

NEW BALANCE – China-Russia relations have strengthened in recent years, and bilateral trade has reached new highs. The two countries, once hostile, cooperate on security matters, but the glue that holds them together is the shared perception of the United States as a threat. This rapprochement is in line with the popular adage of the Chinese political community: "China and Russia can share miseries, but not happiness." Furthermore, Beijing has an uncertain economy and a painful trade war with Washington. Russia is paying the price for the West's isolation due to its aggression against Kiev, making the Dragon essential to its fortunes, even at the cost of being a junior partner.

The SCO's limits, however, are well known: when Israel attacked, the imposition of punitive tariffs could lead the SCO's most powerful countries—China, Russia, and India—to align themselves more closely against Washington . But to what extent remains to be seen.

(Unioneonline)

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