Vladimir Putin has backed off from pursuing Russian interests in Eastern Ukraine for 3 reasons: 1) he got the real prize - Crimea 2) the split in public opinion in the east is highly fractious 3) the election of Petro Poroshenko yesterday as the new Ukrainian President. Poroshenko, a self-made billionaire entrepreneur, built a business empire that includes car/bus manufacturing plants, confectionery production, a shipyard, television channel and many other enterprises. He also served as Minister for Trade and Economic Development and Foreign Minister. He is seen as a patriot, a very strong leader and wants closer ties with the West. Taking more Ukrainian territory now would probably be more of a liability than an asset so Putin put his expansionary plans on hold.
Meanwhile, the foxy Russian pulled off a spectacular energy deal with China - a 30 year, $400 billion agreement to export Siberian natural gas. Russian/Chinese relations have not been as cozy as they were in the cold war era, because of territorial disputes in eastern Siberia but this gas agreement will clearly enhance their relationship. How will this affect Chinese interaction with America and Europe? In Shanghai, when President Xi Jinping announced the gas deal, he made it very clear that it was an economic partnership not a strategic one. The door to the West was still open.
Nicholas Consonery, a director of a Eurasian think tank, made this observation: "The Chinese government will be much less keen to cast stronger ties with Russia, preferring instead to seek closer ties with the U.S. and Europe as well........Beijing's need for balance in this regard, alongside some lingering mutual suspision between Moscow and Beijing will limit the extent of deepening the strategic relationship."
No comments:
Post a Comment