Washington found its two great adversaries united as never before. Risking making sanctions ineffective.
Vladimir Putin addressed Xi Jinping with a wide smile this Friday during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. For the Russian President, this lunch, followed by a photo session, highly choreographed, with all the pomp and circumstance, was not just a pleasant reunion between “old friends”, as his Chinese counterpart once described it. It was a summit with a crucial ally, which the Kremlin depends on to face NATO sanctions if it invades Ukraine.
