The reality that the Kremlin finds difficult to internalize is that in the complex agenda of U.S.-PRC competition, issues pertaining to Russia and the war in Ukraine are rather far from the top. Putin expects that the forthcoming peace talks will confirm his status as a world statesman on par with Trump and Xi, but neither of the two can possibly treat him as an equal, measuring the superficial gestures of respect carefully. Every attempt to play hardball and persist with tall demands (and it is hard to expect different behavior from the Russian autocrat) will only make it more necessary for all stakeholders in the success of the peace process, disorganized as it is, to reject the legitimization of such attempts and whatever precedence they may set.
Baev, Pavel K. (2025) Conversations on ending the war in Ukraine grow louder and emptier, Eurasia Daily Monitor (1–2). 27 January.
