But what makes the leak especially intriguing is that it appears to have emanated from the Chinese leadership, not from sources in the US. And it comes just as Putin is arriving for talks in Beijing, with some saying he has been summoned, underscoring the disparity in relative strength between the two nations. This suggests that Xi may be coming to the conclusion that Russia is no longer capable of winning and may even be losing, which would make China look bad. He may, then, pressure Putin to begin to wind the war down before further damage is done to Russia and to the reputation of its allies. JL
Maira Butt reports in The Independent:
Maira Butt reports in The Independent:
Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin could regret invading Ukraine, as the Russian leader prepared to meet his Chinese counterpart for talks in Beijing. Xi is reported to have made the remarks during talks between the US and Chinese delegations in Beijing last week. The alleged comment suggests a tension between the two allies. Ukraine is gaining ground due to its drone warfare strategy, combined with growing fatigue in the Russian military and domestic pressure on Putin, who has faced a drop in popularity according to opinion polls, with ordinary Russians facing internet disruption and a sluggish economy. With Ukraine increasing its long-range drone strikes, it has become increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to claim the war does not affect the daily lives of Russian citizens.























