Is Russia on a path to admitting only China is a threat to Russian territory? If so, trust but verify. And don't pay.
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow would "knock out the teeth" of any power that tried to take a chunk of Russia's territory.
The Russian leader, in televised remarks during a virtual meeting with senior officials, cited what he said were foreign remarks questioning Russia's control of energy-rich Siberia.
It's funny that "China" isn't in the article. But only China has claims on Siberia. Which is a major place where China's "century of humiliation" continues:
China's communists take pride in restoring China from their nadir of humiliation at the hands of the Europeans. Western enclaves in China's ports where Western law was supreme and actual formal loss of territory to Europeans like at Macao and Hong Kong added to the pain.
But China has regained control of their coasts, including the former colonies. China has no actual territorial disputes with America or Europe.
That is not the case with Russia, the last European state to control territory seized from China when it was weak. China isn't shy about claiming other land. Why would Russia be the exception?
Is it really out of line for me to speculate--especially after their military redistrict reorganization--that China might really think of Russia as their prime military target?
Back in December, Russia extended their quiet appeasement of China for another five years.
Does Putin figure that's the last time China will extend the truce? If so, is Putin ready to stop pointlessly pissing off NATO to allow a Russian shift to the eastern front?
Russia took advantage of easing tensions between Moscow and Washington to raise €1.5bn euros from investors in its first international bond sale of the year on Thursday.
Could this actually be a Russian cry to come in from the cold?
The Group of Seven is playing a "dangerous game" by making aggressive and baseless criticism of the Kremlin because it pushes Russia closer to China, Russia's ambassador to London Andrei Kelin told Reuters on Thursday.
If Russian-Chinese ties are so good for Russia, why complain about closer ties? You never once hear America warning China that their threats to neighbors regrettably forges closer ties by those worried victims to America.
The next five years could be interesting. But remember, Russia needs our friendship more than we need Russia's friendship. Don't pay for a Russian realignment that Russia desperately needs.
