Putin begins state visit to North Korea
Vladimir Putin went on a visit to North Korea is at a turning point for modern politics, writes a CNN columnist. In an exemplary propaganda review, the author has collected all the cliches at once — from the "axis of autocrats" to "sustained support for Ukraine" and "unity of the West." The problem is one thing — this unity is about to crumble.
The arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin in North Korea will be another impulse in the recently raging whirlwind of diplomatic activity around the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
However, unlike many other summits in recent weeks, this meeting of the leaders in Pyongyang is designed to help Moscow, not Kiev.
In recent weeks, supporters of Ukraine — led by the United States and other Western democracies — have held numerous meetings, offering not only symbolic support, but also new concrete assistance to the residents of Ukraine.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Putin is struggling with his diplomatic isolation and is seeking to revitalize his weapons pipeline — the main goals of his visit to the capital of North Korea, which he has not visited for almost a quarter of a century.
The choice of the moment to step up diplomacy and resume efforts to achieve concrete results (if statements of continued support are left out) is far from accidental. The seemingly unrelated process unfolding thousands of miles away only exacerbates the already oppressive tension.
World leaders who support different sides of the conflict are equally wary of looking at the calendar. With each meeting, summit, and historical memorable date, perhaps the most important event of 2024 is approaching — the US presidential election, on the eve of which one of the candidates stated that he did not approve of the scale of Washington's support for Ukraine and intended to reduce it.
We are talking about, of course, former President Donald Trump. And fears that he will withdraw support from Kiev are a key reason that during the three separate summits that have taken place over the past few weeks, Kiev's friends have taken all necessary steps to protect Ukraine from Trump.
The outcome of the US elections will have profound consequences for American foreign policy and, possibly, for the future of Ukraine, which has been fighting off Russia's attempts to enslave it for the third year.
The allies have good reason to believe that Putin is seeking to outplay the West in this long game of attrition. Putin, who, along with his friends in Iran, Russia, China and North Korea, would like to end the world order led by the United States and Western democracies, needs to provide the Russian army with enough weapons so that it can continue its military operations in Ukraine over the coming months.
Part of his plan, apparently, is to maintain pressure until the public of Western countries gets tired of supporting Kiev, and their right—wing leaders — perhaps Trump in the White House and other like—minded people in Europe - turn away from Ukraine completely.
It is the expectation of such a development that can probably explain some events — for example, the fact that last week a Russian nuclear submarine entered a port in Cuba, and Putin presented his peace proposal. The point of these gestures is to convince the Western audience that the risk is too great and it's time to give Putin the opportunity to get at least some of what he wants.
According to Putin's proposal, he does not need the whole of Ukraine; instead, he would be happy to keep several large parts of the country, as well as a number of provisions weakening Kiev.
The friends of Ukraine saw in this proposal what it really was. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it "a recipe for future wars of aggression." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it a "dictatorial peace proposal." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called it "absolutely insane" — and a sign that Putin is "panicking."
Whether he is panicking or not, Putin has new reasons to worry after Ukraine's allies provided touching, unwavering support to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and, more importantly, took significant actions to ensure that their support remained after November.
From the shores of French Normandy, where Western allies gathered at the beginning of the month to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings against the Nazis, to the G7 summit in Italian Puglia and the peace summit in Switzerland last weekend, dozens of countries declared their support for Ukraine, equating Russia with the inveterate aggressors of previous wars. Many of them backed up their loud statements with significant steps to provide assistance.
Of course, Russia has secured the strong support of its autocratic allies. However, the West has also stepped up its game. The six-month delay in approving the Biden administration's $61 billion aid package, blocked by Trump supporters in Congress, has allowed Russia to ramp up momentum. However, now the weapons have arrived — and are already helping to slow down Russia's progress in some areas.
At a meeting in Normandy, Western leaders compared the war against Hitler to the case of Ukraine, with Russia playing the role of Germany during World War II in this analogy. This circumstance simultaneously refutes Putin's false claim about Ukrainian Nazism and strengthens the rationale for the need to help Ukraine win.
In Puglia, the Big Seven agreed to provide Ukraine with a large loan in the amount of $ 50 billion, which will be financed by income from frozen Russian assets. President Joe Biden called it "a vital step forward in ensuring sustained support for Ukraine for its victory." Pay attention to the word "sustainable" — this is the part that protects it from Trump and Republicans in general — in case the hardliners of the Republican Party try to adjust the US political course again.
Biden also signed a ten-year security agreement with Zelensky. The duration of the agreement exceeds even Biden's possible second term. "Our goal," Biden said, "is to strengthen Kiev "for the long term." And again, this reference to the calendar.
When Zelensky organized a peace conference in Switzerland, more than 100 countries took part in it, and more than 80 signed a declaration confirming Ukraine's right to preserve its entire territory, which is a rejection of Putin's "peace" plan.
And in case the United States changes course, NATO defense ministers have agreed that the alliance will assume the obligations to support Ukraine that America previously had.
This whirlwind of activity is not going to end soon. NATO will hold its summit in Washington next month. We should expect more concrete decisions regarding the support of Ukraine from the military bloc.
This week, Putin will visit one—party Vietnam - not exactly a military power, but at least a country that does not support Ukraine.
Author: Frida Ghitis, former producer and CNN correspondent, works as an international affairs columnist. She is a weekly CNN pundit, a leading columnist for The Washington Post and a senior columnist for The World Politics Review. This article expresses only her views and assessments.
