{"id":25842,"date":"2025-09-04T19:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/?p=25842"},"modified":"2025-09-04T19:53:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:53:09","slug":"putin-shocks-the-us-after-the-summit-in-alaska-he-went-to-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/?p=25842","title":{"rendered":"Putin Shocks the US – After the Summit in Alaska, He Went to China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The international political scene, and especially the American one, was shocked by a sudden but well-calculated diplomatic move by Russian President Vladimir Putin. After his talks with his American counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska on August 15, the Russian leader sent the speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, to Beijing, temporarily bypassing direct communication with Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This move, which at first glance may seem paradoxical, is in fact a complex message to both China and the West. Volodin\u2019s mission was not only about a formal briefing on the results of the meeting with Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also about creating an appropriate framework for Putin\u2019s own upcoming visit to China, from August 31 to September 3, where he will also participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit. The geopolitical situation, the timing and the way in which this mission was organized reveal that we are in a period of restructuring of the balance of power at the global level, with Moscow and Beijing attempting to redefine their position vis-\u00e0-vis the US and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does Xi Jinping\u2019s \u201cbypass\u201d mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that Putin did not contact the Chinese president directly but sent a personal envoy has multiple interpretations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Diplomatic message of trust: Volodin is one of Putin\u2019s closest associates, with a powerful position in the Russian political system. His mission signals that the message he conveyed was of grave importance and could not be given via telephone or formal diplomatic channels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Preparation of the ground: Putin seems to be preparing the ground for his upcoming visit to Beijing, ensuring that the talks will be prepared in advance and without surprises.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Symbolism for the West: The image of a Russian official rushing to Beijing after talks with the US president sends the message that Russia is \u201cplaying on two boards\u201d, maintaining both a channel of communication with the US and strategic depth with China.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Putin\u2019s diplomacy often operates with powerful symbolism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In this case, the message was clear: \u201cRussia is talking to Washington, but it is not neglecting Beijing. This balance is carefully measured, it is a great diplomatic move, excellently considered.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Russia-China relations are strategic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Moscow has repeatedly stated that relations with China are at the level of \u201cprivileged strategic cooperation.\u201d Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently stressed that the two countries deeply value this relationship and are ready to strengthen their strategic potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, he acknowledged that they have not yet reached the highest point of their development. A similar position was expressed by the Chinese ambassador to Moscow, Zhang Hanhui, noting that the upcoming Putin-Xi meeting will be an important milestone for bilateral relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This shows that both sides see themselves not only as \u201cindispensable allies,\u201d but as partners who can determine the future of the Eurasian continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alaska, China and the \u201ctriangle of power\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska had its own weight. It is no coincidence that the Volodin mission to Beijing followed almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Russia wants to show that no discussion with the US will be at the expense of its strategic cooperation with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the geopolitical \u201ctriangle of power\u201d of Russia-US-China, Moscow is trying to balance with mastery:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • With the US, it discusses security issues, Ukraine and the future architecture of Europe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • With China, it is preparing cooperation in the economy, energy, technology and defense.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • In Eurasia as a whole, it seeks to strengthen multilateral structures, such as the SCO, which allow it to appear as an alternative center of power beyond NATO.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The sequence of these moves suggests that Russia wants to keep all doors open, using relations with the US as a bargaining chip against Beijing, and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What was discussed in China?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      During Putin\u2019s visit to China, it is unlikely that the Ukrainian issue dominated the agenda. The emphasis was on economic and military cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The main topics were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Energy: Increasing the flow of Russian natural gas and oil to China in response to Western sanctions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Technology: Developing joint projects in telecommunications, artificial intelligence and 5G networks to compensate for Russia\u2019s limited access to Western technology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Military cooperation: Exercises, joint armament programs and enhancing interoperability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • SCO: Strengthening the two countries\u2019 position in Asia, with the aim of creating alternative institutions to the West.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        The Ukrainian issue may have been discussed only in the background, mainly in relation to possible security guarantees and the role that China could play as a “guarantor” in a future peace agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The SCO\u2019s Strategic Importance and the New Geopolitical Architecture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in September offers Putin and Xi a platform to show the world that Eurasian powers can co-shape the international order without Western dominance. The SCO, which includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Central Asian states, has grown into one of the most important security and cooperation organizations in Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Putin\u2019s active participation will send a message that Moscow is not isolated, despite Western sanctions. On the contrary, it is broadening its strategic alliances.<\/p>\n\n\n

        \n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Putin\u2019s double message to East and West<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Volodin\u2019s mission to Beijing after the Putin-Trump talks in Alaska is not a random detail. It is a diplomatic \u201csignal\u201d that Russia is not going to play the West\u2019s game at the expense of its strategic relationship with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        On the contrary, it is preparing the ground for an even closer Eurasian convergence. Moscow and Beijing seem to understand that the coming period will determine the future of the global balance of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Ukraine, although important, is not the only card on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The real stakes are the new power architecture that is taking shape between the West and the East. Putin\u2019s move shows that Russia seeks to be the regulator of this game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Whether it succeeds will be seen not only in Beijing, but also in Alaska, in Ukraine and in every point where global power is redistributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The international political scene, and especially the American one, was shocked by a sudden but well-calculated diplomatic move by Russian President Vladimir Putin. After…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[836,3],"tags":[161,655,4421,7320,58,7298,70,1166,7321,2187],"class_list":["post-25842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asia-geopolitical","category-geopolitical","tag-china","tag-donald-trump","tag-multipolar-world","tag-peskov","tag-russia","tag-shanghai-cooperation-organization","tag-usa","tag-vladimir-putin","tag-volodin","tag-xi-jinping"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25842"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25846,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25842\/revisions\/25846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}