Tough summit for Putin. The Allies refused to support his war

On September 15-16, in the Uzbek Samarkand, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held, where the leaders of the countries of Central Asia and the Far East met. All eyes were on Vladimir Putin, the country that is occupying Ukraine in particular. Also important are the moves by Chinese President Xi Jinping, for whom this is his first major foreign trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

During the meeting with Xi, Putin thanked China for its “balanced stance” on the Ukraine conflict. At the same time, he said he understood what the Chinese leader had done “Questions and Concerns” About Conflict. Xi Jinping, on the other hand, did not mention the Ukraine issue. According to the Kremlin announcement, the leaders of Russia and China, together with the president of Mongolia, mainly talked about energy issues, including the construction of a hydroelectric plant in Erdenburen and the Soyuz-Vostok gas pipeline.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed this information to Putin during an official meeting This is not a “time of wars”. And it is necessary to come to the room. He also pointed out that “thousands of Indian students” were stranded in Ukraine when Russia launched its invasion. Modi thanked not only Moscow but also Kiev for the expulsion.

The media did not miss the less political scenes either. Vladimir Putin is known for making several leaders — like the Pope or German Chancellor Angela Merkel — wait on each other. However, in Samarkand, it was mentioned The Russian president had to wait for the leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and India.

It seemed that Putin would bring the benefits of cooperation with Turkey from Uzbekistan. Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly agreed to pay in rubles for gas imported from Russia. The Turkish president also announced an agreement to export Russian agricultural products to world markets.

Turkey decided to play politics on two fronts. The Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Mustafa Centop, arrived in Comrat, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Moldova, Caucasia. Gagauzi live there – a Turkic minority, generally pro-Russian and supporting Moscow in the Ukrainian war.

Sendob began to convince Kakas that his country was doing its best End the war and establish a Russo-Ukrainian accord.

We don’t want new attacks in the region, new war affecting other countries. That is why we are fighting for peace – he said.

He also emphasized Turkey will support Moldova’s territorial integrity and called on officials in Komrad to improve relations with Chisinau.

Let us remind you that Moldova is a divided country. Apart from “core” Moldova and the Caucasus, Transnistria, where Russian troops are stationed, is still dependent on Russia. There have been many provocations in the region, and some Russian politicians have not ruled out that Ukraine’s invasion could spill over into Moldova.

Another high point in Moscow’s policy was the declaration of support for the unity of Moldova.

The Ukraine war has put Putin in an awkward position. Cut off from Western markets in many respects, Russia needs to tighten ties with the East. However, the countries of the former Soviet Union and Asia do not want to restrain themselves and try to take advantage of a weakened Moscow.

The President of Kazakhstan, Kasym-Żomart Tokayev, visited St. Petersburg for economic and He publicly announced that he would not recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed separatist republics in Donbass.

Some experts explain that Russia’s weakness, for example, has encouraged Azerbaijan to escalate its attacks on Armenia. The current activities on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border may be related to the fact that the mice may be playing while the cat is doing something else.