While one world leader after another has vehemently condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s regime is less isolated than it sometimes appears from a Western point of view. For example, China, the world power, is strikingly on edge.

According to China, the attack on Ukraine “is not an invasion,” according to a statement issued by the government in Beijing. However, the country insists on diplomacy. “The door to a peaceful solution has not yet been completely closed and should never be closed,” Beijing said. China’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York said that the situation should not get out of control and that his country wanted to hold talks with relevant parties.

China’s position is contradictory in this conflict. On the other hand, the state supports Putin in his opposition to NATO expansion. On the other hand, the country does not benefit from war. Certainly not in Ukraine with which China conducts the necessary trade. China buys a lot of grain from Ukraine and finances, for example, the construction of a new metro line in the capital, Kiev. The New Silk Road, the trade route along which China wants to expand its dominance, also partially passes through Ukraine.

China is not for nothing. Chinese leader Xi knows better than anyone that Putin needs his support to deal with the consequences of Western sanctions. For example, Germany says that new gas contracts with Russia are now unimaginable, but it won’t hurt much now because China wants to buy a lot of Russian gas. An additional advantage for Putin is that Xi is not paid in dollars. As a result, US sanctions, which make it difficult for Russia to trade dollars, are suddenly becoming less effective. And the benefit to Xi: Russia has become more dependent on China. Another step closer to the ultimate goal of overtaking the United States as the world’s largest (and most powerful) economy.

In any case, Russia can count on the unconditional support of the member states of CVVO, the military alliance of many former Soviet states: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus. The latter country has already said that it will help the Russians if necessary.

The text continues after the interactive map showing the current state of the war in Ukraine.

There is also support for Putin in the Netherlands. Although almost all sides condemned the attack on Ukraine, the Forum for Democracy supports Putin. According to Forum Leader Thierry Baudt, religion To the West that threatens Russia’s security through years of trying to bring Ukraine into its sphere of influence. He also recently noted on Twitter that the war is being deliberately provoked by the United States.”Big reset‘, a term used by conspiracy proponents to indicate that the freedom of citizens is being taken away by the elite.

For many Western politicians, Putin is a kind of defender of conservative Christian values ​​against what they see as the overly liberal thinking of Western leaders. Former US President Donald Trump described Putin’s performance this week as “smart” and “genius”. A recent study by the Clingendael Institute showed that one in five Dutch people sympathize with Putin’s ideas. Support can be found primarily in PVV, FvD, SGP, JA21, and BBB proponents.

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