Background
For about eleven (11) years now, there has been conflict between Russia and Ukraine causing the removal of Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and leading Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support of separatists in the eastern Donbas region. This conflict as informed by international news agencies like CNN, Aljazeera and BBC, escalated into a trench war killing over thousands of people and widespread displacement and international condemnation in these respective countries. As at late August, fighting was still ongoing where Russia included overnight massive attacks on Ukraine and Ukraine in return also strike Russian’s oil refineries. Today (30th August, 2025), it is reported that, the current Russian President – Vladimir Putin, had arrived in China. Let’s get to know the details…
Rationale behind the Visit
It has come to notice that, China emerged as an economic lifeline for Russia during the war in Ukraine and the meeting is to hold talks between these leaders – Putin and Xi Jinping (China’s President), on where the war is heading and how likely it should be stopped in the near future. Since USA is also making efforts to end the fight through assistance from Beijing (a northern capital of china). Again, the visit is to recognize Beijing’s Victory Day military parade as it is marking 80years, since Japan’s defeat in the second-world war and Putin is said, to be a star guest of this event, alongside with leaders of Iran, Cuba and North Korea.
Russian representative called Alexander Gabuev – a Director of Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre mentioned that, the war became a main pillar of Russia and China’s relationship, toady. But currently, the bilateral trade between them had climbed to more than $240billion, that is, two-thirds higher than before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and it is said that, Beijing is now the leading buyer of Russian oil and coal, and sooner they will also surpass Europe as main market for natural gas. With this latest development, Russia’s dependency on China is unlikely to go away even if the fight stops, therefore, Russia wants to also know whether china will continue to buy more oil and gas in the long-term.
Analysts also believed that this close relationship/partnership between China and Russia will always remain solid, even if US tries to bring division using Beijing. This is because, the two countries – Russia and China, share similar view of history like casting themselves as victorious powers of the second world war.
About SCO
SCO which stands for Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an entity formed in 2001 as group responsible for regional security cooperation between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Presently, the organization is behind the aforementioned gathering (Summit) held in Tianjin, and the guests at this summit have national rivalries between them and vast political systems. But Beijing the North Capital of China wants to use this entity as a medium to signal these leaders that, they are capable of seating rivals at the same table and translating their great power competitions into a managed interdependence. So, the optics of this Summit is straight forward – China is not just a participant but the main architect and host of this event who also wants to bring in the Indian Prime Minister (who skipped last year’s Summit in Kazakhstan) to this event; as a way to create a strong bond between them. Since US is also making efforts to cultivate India as a counterweight against China.
Apart from that, the US-India relationship as at now is also due to the influence Russia has on the Indians with regards to military equipment, defense ties and economic cooperation. Thus, the reason US is drawing closer with the Indians, is to be able to limit or deter “this influence” whereby, US intension is to use economic pressure including tariffs on Indian’s goods and sanctions against companies involved in Russian energy trade, to be able to end this ally.
In conclusion, this Summit which is lasting for four days in Tianjin (China), is bringing all populists, friends, heads of states and delegations across Asia, Middle East to rebalance global power in favor of all, and it is also believed and expected that, the Summit will yield unity in the vision of building a just, multipolar world to order, especially between Russia and Ukraine.