Putin has already lost to China

Tokayev expressed his support literally the day after the plan was released, while Lukashenko waited until he went to Beijing.

Of course, they are old tricksters and know what they are doing: they are playing a balancing game with Russia. But the real significance of these statements is much greater.

Kazakhstan and Belarus are not just anybody to the Kremlin, but members of the EurAsEC and the CSTO, i.e., on paper, they are its closest allies: both economically and security-wise.

“Kazakhstan and Belarus are not just anybody to the Kremlin, but members of the EurAsEC and the CSTO, i.e., on paper, their are its closest allies: both economically and security-wise”

Direct and unconditional support for the Chinese plan means the end of Russia's zone of dominant geopolitical influence. Putin considers the collapse of the USSR to be the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. He invested enormous efforts and resources in building structures that would restore Russia's geopolitical influence in the former Soviet Union.

Now China is a major player in the Eurasian space.

“Putin wanted to bring back the USSR in a new version and thus go down in history that way. He ends up with his supposedly closest allies publicly supporting the Chinese plan and buying themselves China's favor”

To paraphrase Churchill, the Maidan was the end of the beginning of the post-Soviet space’s collapse, and the Russian-Ukrainian war was the beginning of the end. Putin wanted to bring back the USSR in a new version and go down in history that way. He ends up with his supposedly closest allies publicly supporting the Chinese plan and buying themselves China's favor. In the eyes of the whole world, this is an obvious humiliation – Putin has already lost to China.

Source

About the author. Pavlo Klimkin, diplomat, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The editorial board does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.