There are other worlds, but they are in this one. An atomic Vladimir Putin, whose Duma has just left his hands free to carry out nuclear tests after 33 years, landed this Tuesday morning in Beijing. His host, Xi Jinping, rolled out the red carpet for him, grateful that his counterpart, the Russian president, did not want to miss the Third World Forum of the New Silk Roads, nor did she miss the second or the first.
Putin’s exceptional departure from Russia threatens to overshadow the dozens of international leaders, from 130 countries, who have wanted to be photographed on the tenth anniversary of the Chinese president’s most ambitious program. However, the bilateral meeting between Putin and Xi will take place this Wednesday, with the Gaza war in the background and practically simultaneously with the interview in Israel between presidents Joe Biden and Beniamin Netanyahu.
Vladimir Putin has left Russia rarely since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Among other things, because he has an open case at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. A few days ago, Putin traveled to Kyrgyzstan, which does not recognize the jurisdiction of said organization, nor do Russia, China, the United States or Israel.
The Russian president, who did not attend the G-20 summit in New Delhi, nor the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, had a full agenda today. He has met with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, with that of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin – who has just extended the visa-free stay of Russian tourists from 30 to 90 days – as well as with other leaders of the 130 countries represented in Quote.
