Vladimir Putin, chairman of Russia, is performing well on a diplomatic front both domestically and abroad, defying attempts by the US and its allies to portray him as an international outcast over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Putin has met with officials from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East in less than 20 meetings since he first took office as president in May, taking office in only two weeks.
Putin has likewise visited six other countries, despite the restrictions on his journey options since the International Criminal Court next month issued an arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Some of his interlocutors either came from states that supported Putin’s anti-US position or were former Communist allies who felt pressured to maintain good relations with Russia. Others represent nations that have tried to keep a natural position on the battle, demonstrating how successful Russian President’s efforts to appeal to the so-called International South as a counterweight to the US-dominated world order have been.
Xi speech
- Putin flew to Beijing a little more than a year after taking the oath of office for a second six-year word, and he had no problem rekindling his friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They reconnected this quarter on the heels of the Kazakhstan conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. As he and Putin pledged to” improve comprehensive strategic coordination,” Xi defended the support that has helped Russia survive extraordinary American sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.
Modi attend
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first trip to Russia in five times, this year, sends a clear message about India’s commitment to remain close to Russia in the midst of the deepening Chinese-Russian embrace. Even as it diversifies its security needs and is increasingly reliant on discounted oil from Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, New Delhi continues to be a big consumer of Russian arms.
Orban’s “peace vision”
- Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary and the member of the European Union’s rotating president, defied criticism from EU leaders for his self-styled serenity initiative, which included holding talks with Putin last week in Moscow. Orban, who is regarded as the 27-nation bloc’s most welcoming number, had previously traveled to China after speaking with Putin and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
Erdogan ask
- For the first time since September 2013, Putin had a conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the SCO mountain. They spoke about the Akkuyu nuclear power plant that Rosatom is building in Turkey and the rising Russian hospitality there. Erdogan, who invited Putin to attend him “very quickly,” said that NATO member Turkey wants to “further create comfortable relations” with Russia.
North Korea empire
- Putin in June made his second journey in 24 times to North Korea, where he signed a common security agreement with head Kim Jong Un, who pledged “unconditionally” to aid Russia in its war on Ukraine. The secluded Communist status, which has been sending munitions and missiles to support the Kremlin’s battle machine, has been fawned by the military partnership. From Pyongyang, Putin traveled on to Vietnam, which ignored US concerns about hosting the Soviet leader.
Broader emails
- Since May, Putin has been active speaking with foreign leaders both domestically and abroad. In addition to Xi and Erdogan, Putin met with the rulers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan and Qatar on the outside of the SCO conference in Astana. In Russia, he has held discussions with his peers from Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Armenia, Tajikistan and Bahrain. Putin even traveled to meet with the leaders of Uzbekistan and Belarus.
- When Russia hosts the conference of the expanded BRICS group of states in Kazan in October, more top-level politics is on the horizon. That’s likely to give Putin the opportunity to meet with the rulers of Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
