Putin humiliated at Xi summit

Russian President Vladimir  Putin is having bad times.  His troops are being routed in northwest Ukraine and his high-visibility meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping did not go well at all.

Although it was not made clear in most of the news reports, the Putin/Xi meeting in Uzbekistan was not a one-on-one summit.  It was actually a west Asian conference called by Xi.  Many of the participants were from nations that had broken away from the old Soviet Union – nations that are discomforted by the Madman of Moscow’s ambition to reassemble the USSR.

In addition, China has not been an enthusiastic cheerleader for Putin’s reckless, destabilizing and botched invasion.  Xi did not give the attack on Ukraine his blessing at the onset and refused to provide the military equipment that Putin requested.  With the war and the public relations going so badly for Putin, Xi has not changed his position.

In that audience, Putin was forced to humiliate himself by publicly conceding that he did not have the support of his friend “without limits” as the two autocrats had professed less than a year ago.  Obviously, there are limits.

While Putin feebly expressed the strength of the Russian/Chinese alliance and personal friendship, Xi was more reserved.  He did not echo Putin’s words.  In fact, in his closing statement, Xi diplomatically scolded Putin – saying the Russian leader would have to work toward stabilizing the situation if he wanted to be a world leader.

Ponder that.  Xi was intimating that Putin was NOT a first-class world leader – like himself – and that he was a destabilizing influence in the world.  That is the sort of comment you might expect from President Biden or leaders of NATO.  It was a slap in the face at Putin’s puffed-up self-importance.

Even the imagery worked against Putin.  He IS a little man – and looked “small” in every regard standing next to the more imposing Xi.

Putin got nothing from the meeting.  As they say in diplomatic parlance, there were no “deliverables.”  No pledges for future actions.  No grand endorsement.  And certainly, no military weapons.

Figuratively, Putin slumped away from the meeting with his head down in an expression of utter defeat and humility – returning home where his army continues to lose ground and government officials have the courage and temerity to call for his resignation.

If Putin thought that he was on par with Xi – partner, as it were – the meeting in Uzbekistan proved that Putin is more the child and Xi the parent in this relationship.  Putin came away from the meeting a much-diminished man.

So, there ‘tis.