Tag: Putin, Vladimir V

Lethality and Testosterone Will Get Us Only So Far

Media Library

Enemy drones over Romania. Wayward missiles in Poland. Sabotage in Germany. Every week brings some new Russian provocation as President Vladimir Putin steps up his efforts to divide Europe and undermine support for Ukraine. As Western militaries scramble to respond, the prospect of the war spilling over into NATO territory rises. The problem of escalating instability, unfortunately, is not confined to Europe’s eastern frontier. The danger of war between America’s autocratic adversaries and our democratic allies is rising around the world for one simple, troubling reason: The enemies of liberal…

Why Emerging Powers Keep Joining BRICS, Even When They Disagree

Media Library

At a gathering of nations that are challenging the dominance of the United States, Iran’s president took the main stage on Friday, flanked by the leaders of Russia and India, to condemn “military aggression” by the United States. Iran wants to show that Western sanctions have not left it isolated, even as it digs into a war with the United States that has severely restricted the crucial Strait of Hormuz route for oil and other commodities. President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran spoke at the BRICS Business Forum, ahead of the…

Has World War III Already Started?

Media Library

Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, I wrote a column under the headline “This Is How World War III Begins.” More than four years on, I wonder how much I got right. My argument was based on the origins of World War II, which did not simply start with Germany’s invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939. Instead, the war was an accumulation of regional wars and crises, beginning with Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931, which gradually gathered into a single global conflict. That gathering, abetted…

Trump Pushes Chinese Election Threat, but Files Show Russia’s Heavy Hand

Media Library

President Trump’s prime-time speech last Thursday was intended to shore up his tenacious lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him and leaned heavily on recycled claims that the Chinese government tried to tip the scales against him. But a trove of intelligence documents that Mr. Trump declassified in hopes that they would bolster his assertions arguably made a stronger case that a different country — Russia — had meddled in the race. Mr. Trump, nonetheless, barely mentioned Russia during his 25-minute address, in keeping with his longstanding aversion…

A.I. Drones Are Coming. We Are Not Ready.

Media Library

On a clear afternoon this month, high above the Mojave Desert, an A.I.-powered drone launched a missile in a test that could reshape modern warfare. Since the dawn of the jet age, the U.S. military has used the isolation over this stretch of sand to push secret, experimental aircraft to their aerodynamic and technological limits. It’s doing the same today: fine-tuning machines capable of engaging in aerial combat with barely any human intervention. These drones’ flight is controlled not by a pilot, not by human remote control, but entirely by…

Trump Thanks China and Russia, Partners of Iran, for Diplomatic Help

Media Library

When President Trump gave thanks to those who had helped him reach an initial cease-fire agreement with Iran, he praised two world leaders he has called his friends — Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The leaders, he said, had aided the Americans in sealing the deal with the Iranians, or at least had helped set the conditions by not sending oil and gas tankers or other commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz to compromise a U.S. naval blockade aimed at pressuring Iran. “He was…

The Museum of Wretched Ideas Has Reopened

Media Library

It’s the year 2026, and sometimes it feels as if we’re taking a nice leisurely walk through a Museum of Wretched Ideas. Consider what’s happening at home. Tariffs raise prices and restrain economic growth, while the federal government embraces both Gilded Age corruption and a version of the spoils system. A disturbing number of young people on the right are fascinated with fascism. An extraordinary 34 percent of young people overall express a favorable view of communism, and young Americans are far more likely than their parents or grandparents to…

High-Level British Spy Warns of Expanding Russia Threat

Media Library

As Russia fails to gain ground in the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin appears to be pursuing a wider conflict in Europe, increasingly targeting critical infrastructure and supply chains, one of Britain’s highest-ranking intelligence officials said in prepared remarks. “Russia is scaling up its daily hybrid activity against the U.K. and Europe,” said Anne Keast-Butler, director of GCHQ, the British electronic surveillance agency, which has been countering what she called the Kremlin’s “reckless sabotage and assassination attempts.” Ms. Keast-Butler’s remarks are part of an annual speech she is…

Days After Hosting Trump, Xi Serves Up Tea and Smiles to Putin

Media Library

When the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, hosted President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Beijing on Wednesday for what China said was the Russian leader’s 25th visit, the elephant in the room was President Trump. Less than a week earlier, the American president had made the journey to the Chinese capital. During that trip, Mr. Xi warned Mr. Trump against mishandling Taiwan and asked him to reopen the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, as China seeks to stabilize its tumultuous relationship with the United States. Mr. Putin’s…

Xi Meets Putin Days After Trump Visit

Media Library

new video loaded: Xi Meets Putin Days After Trump Visit <img alt="Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin walk side by side on a red carpet. A line of soldiers stand to the side, holding guns." src="https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/xi-meets-putin-days-after-trump-visit.jpg" data-testid="betamax-poster" sizes="(width < 1024px) 100vw, (width 0:57 China’s leader, Xi Jinping, welcomed President Vladimir Putin of Russia to Beijing, less than a week after a visit from President Trump. By Shawn Paik May 20, 2026 <img loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/xi-meets-putin-days-after-trump-visit-17.jpg 400w, https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/xi-meets-putin-days-after-trump-visit-18.jpg 735w, https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/xi-meets-putin-days-after-trump-visit-19.jpg 1200w, https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/xi-meets-putin-days-after-trump-visit-1.jpg 2400w" sizes="(width <= 600px) 220px, (width Xi Mentions Putin During Private…