While in Europe the preparations for the summit on the Ukraine of the willing, scheduled for Thursday in Paris and by videocalization, Vladimir Putin returns to occupy a leading role internationally, taking part in a series of meetings in China, in parallel with those who recently had recently in Alaska with Donald Trump. In Beijing, the Russian president participated in a dense agenda of diplomatic commitments. After the Shanghai cooperation organization (SCO) organization held in Tianjin, Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The interviews took place on the eve of the parade scheduled for Wednesday, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the surrender of Japan. The ceremony will also be attended by XI and the North Korean leader Kim Jong Una, who arrived in China with an armored train.
During the meeting with Xi Jinping, Putin defined bilateral relations with China at an unprecedented “level”, receiving from the Chinese leader the name of “old friend”. According to what has been trapped, the possible participation of Chinese Peacekeeper in Ukraine would not have been discussed in the interview. On the sidelines of the summit, Putin also had a face to face with Robert Fico, an exponent known for his favorable positions in Moscow. Speaking of Ukraine’s adhesion to the European Union and NATO, the Russian president clarified: “As regards the adhesion of Ukraine to the EU, we have never opposed it. As for NATO, it is another question”. He also added that “there are options to ensure Ukraine’s safety in the event of the end of the conflict”, underlining that it is a theme discussed also with Trump ad anchorage: “It seems to me that there is the possibility of finding a consent”. An alleged opening, therefore, even if it could be the usual declaration of facade. The suspicion is lawful, considering that the summit with Zelensky continues to slip and the war continues unabated.
For his part, Fico expressed his desire to “continue to collaborate” with Russia “in the energy sector” for “the supply of Russian gas and oil”. He also announced a next meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Uzhgorod, scheduled for Friday, during which he intends to face the issue of Ukrainian raids on energy infrastructures. On the same wavelength also the Serbic President Vucic who recalled that his country “was the only one in Europe not to have imposed any sanction to the Russian Federation”: “I hope we will have the opportunity not only to preserve but also to improve some aspects of the collaboration. Energy is an extremely significant sector for us, and the gas supplies are very important for us”.
At European level, the EU Commission immediately distanced themselves from the positions expressed by Prime Minister Slovak, specifying that they do not reflect the official Union line. Meanwhile, in view of the summit of the willing, a councilor of the Elysée has confirmed that the goal will be to check whether the coalition has “actually supporting Americans to ensure the safety of Ukraine”. On the opposite front, the concern of the United States continues to grow to intensify the links between Russia, China and India, clearly emerged during the Tianjin meeting. The American authorities have defined this convergence as “worrying”.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has launched a warning: “At this moment there is a massive strengthening of the armed forces and the Russian army, and not only to organize parades in Moscow”. Strong words also came from Germany: the chancellor Friedrich Merz has accused the Russian president, declaring that “Putin is a war criminal. Perhaps the worst war criminal of our time”. Finally, on the possible meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Una, no official confirmation has yet arrived. However, according to estimates from Seoul, North Korea would have sent about 15,000 soldiers since last autumn, with about 2,000 victims between their ranks during the fighting alongside the Russian army.
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