Tag: Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022)

Xi, Cast as Peacemaker, Wades Into Russia’s War in Ukraine

Chin@Strategy

China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has cast himself as a global statesman, helping Saudi Arabia and Iran broker a deal to restore diplomatic ties while extolling the virtues of “Chinese solutions and wisdom” in solving the world’s biggest security challenges. Now, Mr. Xi is putting himself at the center of Russia’s war with Ukraine, working to portray himself as a mediator who could cool down the protracted fight. The Chinese leader is expected to meet in person next week with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and a call with…

Biden and E.U. Leader to Discuss Ukraine and Trade Spat

Chin@Strategy

WASHINGTON — President Biden is scheduled to meet on Friday afternoon with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and the two leaders are expected to coordinate on support for Ukraine and open negotiations over U.S. clean energy subsidies that have prompted anger among some European nations. The discussion, scheduled for 2 p.m. at the White House, will range from a potential trade deal to concerns over China’s support for Moscow, and will be a test of the trans-Atlantic allies’ ability to hold together a unified front…

To Prepare for a Pacific Island Fight, Marines Hide and Attack in California

Chin@Strategy

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Sitting around a plastic folding table in a dusty tent, a half-dozen officers of the Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment took a very short break from days of fighting on little to no sleep. The war, they said, was going well. The unit, newly created and innovative in nature, was facing its toughest test yet — a 10-day mock battle across Southern California, where a series of military bases played the role of an island chain. Though outnumbered by the regiment it was fighting, the team…

Biden and Germany’s Scholz Meet Amid Concerns Over Ukraine and China

Chin@Strategy

At times during their short but eventful alliance, Mr. Biden has appeared keen to let Mr. Scholz and other Western leaders take a public lead on decisions related to penalizing Russia or aiding Ukraine, a strategy designed to bolster the idea that Europe is acting in concert with — instead of at the direction of — the United States. At other times, neither leader has wanted to make the first move. In January, Mr. Biden and Mr. Scholz announced that they would supply battle tanks to Ukraine, ending weeks of you-go-first…

China Increasingly Seen as Antagonist in Diplomatic Talks Globally

Chin@Strategy

NEW DELHI — When the top diplomats of four major Asia-Pacific nations met here in the Indian capital on Friday to discuss issues in the region, one had a direct message for the behemoth whose shadow loomed over the talk. China must “act under the international institutions, standards and laws” to avoid conflict, Yoshimasa Hayashi, the foreign minister of Japan, said on a public panel that included his counterparts from the United States, India and Australia. That request is one that every official on that stage has made on many…

Ukraine Reinforces Embattled Bakhmut, but Mission Is Unclear

Chin@Strategy

Ukraine is sending reinforcements to the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, leading more troops into a bloody crucible that has already cost both sides staggering losses, where Russian forces have gradually tightened their grip. A Ukrainian deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, said Wednesday that her government had begun deploying new fighters to Bakhmut, site of the most protracted battle of the war, but she did not say how many were being sent. More critically, Ms. Maliar, speaking on Ukrainian television, did not say what their role would be, in a…

Blinken Finds Receptive Leaders in Central Asia, Where Russia Seeks Aid

Chin@Strategy

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken came to Central Asia to press his case that the region should hold the line against Russian efforts to seek economic aid as Moscow grapples with Western sanctions. Within hours of landing in Astana, the snow-draped capital of Kazakhstan, he received a sign that the United States had some leverage. The Kazakh president stood next to Mr. Blinken in the blue-doomed presidential palace and thanked the Americans for their support of his nation’s “independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty.” The president, Kassym-Jomart…

China Welcomes Belarusian Leader Amid Concerns About Ukraine

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President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit in which China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, is expected to meet with him, lending support to one of Russia’s staunchest allies amid growing concerns in the United States and Europe about China’s position on the war in Ukraine. Mr. Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground to invade Ukraine more than a year ago, which resulted in Western sanctions against Minsk. A 68-year-old authoritarian, Mr.…

In Central Asia, Blinken Will Urge Distance From Russia, and Ukraine War

Chin@Strategy

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is flying on Tuesday into the heart of what Moscow considers its sphere of influence to urge senior Central Asian officials convening in Kazakhstan to maintain independence from Russia and China. The meetings come at a critical juncture in American efforts to head off Moscow’s global efforts to seek economic aid — and in some cases military aid — as the United States and its allies rush new weapons into Ukraine to try to give the Ukrainians a battlefield advantage over Russian troops. This…

China to Welcome Belarusian Leader, Raising Concerns Over Ukraine

Chin@Strategy

As officials in Ukraine anxiously watch evolving diplomatic overtures between Moscow and Beijing, China’s top leader will host the president of Belarus — a staunch Kremlin ally — with the pomp of a state visit next week. On Saturday, China announced the visit, to take place over three days starting on Tuesday, for President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, who a year ago allowed Russian forces to use his country as a staging ground for their full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The presence in Beijing of such a close partner of President…