Emperor Xi Jinping paid a royal visit to Pu Tin, regional governor of the northern Chinese province of Ruxia.
That's what it looked like, because that is what is happening. Xi was beaming and Putin looked the servant that he is. This was the greatest humiliation Russia has ever seen.
This isn't an alliance, it's boss and lackey. Xi isn't talking about fighting NATO or the US. He'll take Russia first. Putin is trying to buy extra hours in power by selling Russia to China.
Putin's insane war on Ukraine is worsening the Russian demographic crisis, depopulating the country. China isn't doing well and needs space, resources, and victories. Putin's nationalist supporters see what's happening.
China has issued maps that list swaths of Russian border territory with Chinese names and configurations. Putin would give that up to do what, take Bakhmut temporarily? Why not? He doesn't care about Russia or Russians at all.
This will be the choice Russia faces when defeated and ejected from Ukraine. To crawl back to Europe with concessions, accountability, and reparations or to become a gas station province of the Chinese dictatorship.
The US should not make the same mistakes with Xi that it made with Putin. Xi and his gang are self-interested and couldn't care less about Putin or this supposed friendship. They respect strength and will advance if faced by weakness in Ukraine and elsewhere.
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Like any successful mafia boss, Putin's axis of dictatorship is based on loyalty and the use of force. Free world powers sit complacently atop their towers of weapons and wealth, sending concerns and press releases. Russia, Iran, Cuba et al send troops, missiles, and jets.
Of course, that loyalty can come to an abrupt end at any moment, as happened to Assad in Syria a year ago. No honor among terrorists and thugs. Ukraine's valiant resistance has weakened Russia's ability to support its allies and proxies.
Even so, the West quavers and self-deters, which perpetuates the cycle of violence from small threats and conflicts to larger ones. Russia and other authoritarians and terrorists see no reason not to use violence early and often. Deterrence saves lives, appeasement loses them.
No one could watch Bondi‘s performance, and that’s what it was, of stonewalling and trolling and think that she’s part of an administration that believes they will ever leave power or be held accountable.
This isn’t the typical lack of foresight of having procedural changes come back to bite you. This is a group so invested in shattering the institutions of American governance and in personal enrichment that there can be no way back.
Trump and Miller are openly talking about arresting opposing elected officials. They are attacking so-called corrupt judges, a term they use for anyone who disagrees with them in order to debase the word, which of course applies only to their own monumental looting campaign.
In our marches in Russia, we were adamant to avoid any sign of violence. Not one broken window, because we knew it’s what the regime wanted. They lined the streets with riot police, outnumbering us 10 to 1. But in the end, it didn’t matter. They simply criminalized all protest.
New "anti-extremism" laws passed, and peaceful protesting became a criminal charge with prison time, not a civil one with a fine. Judges were intimidated and any that didn’t automatically sentence protesters were soon removed. Opposition leaders were jailed, exiled, or murdered.
When we warned of Putin's rising dictatorship in the 2000s, we were dismissed as fearmongers, even hysterics, in the West. Now a similar process is underway in the US, with Trump following the Putin playbook. My latest in The Atlantic on fighting Putinization: 👇
Talking about 2028 is dangerously naive; the danger is now. Trump is directing the military and justice department to go to "war" on US cities and his enemies, from TV hosts to former FBI directors. Keeping the 2026 midterms fair may be the last stand. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Those actively working for Trump's takeover are the clear and present danger, but complacency is also a threat. "He hasn't done x yet, so he won't" is a fallacy. Don't confuse an autocrat's attempts with his successes. "What would he do if not stopped?" is the right question.
What a joke. Trump has no plan for ending the war because his only idea is to give Putin everything he asks, which wouldn’t end the war at all. Europe and Ukraine know this. More importantly, Putin knows this and sees no reason to stop the killing he started.
Putin started the war in 2014, expanded it in 2022, and Russia has intensified attacks on Ukrainian civilians every day of Trump's time in office. The motives Putin had to try to destroy Ukraine are still there while no new reasons for him to stop have been created. Simple.
I and others have been listing the consequences Putin would need to face to end this war, and ways to create them, since 2014. The haven't changed much, but Europe and 3 different US presidents keep choosing failed alternatives out of ignorance, corruption, and cowardice.
I'm afraid you're too good for the brave new Putinized world of Trump, Mike! This is a business meeting, no foreign policy expertise required. Witkoff & Bessent, Russian finance guys, that's where the action is. Putin may toss in some Ukraine for show, at best.
Everything Trump does is about Trump. Not Ukraine, not America. This hasty and otherwise pointless and destructive meeting is no exception. It's for the Dear Leader's monetization and glorification. Rubio had to be there for token camouflage only.
Putin may grant Trump some Ukraine headlines to fulfill the glory requirement. The real goal is to normalize relations to enrich them both. Any deal signed with Putin's murderous dictatorship will end America's role as leader of the free world as much as a document of surrender.