Russian President Vladimir Putin intensified his diplomatic activity in Moscow this past week, underscoring efforts to counter Western attempts to isolate him nearly five years into the war against Ukraine.
Putin held a rare call with the leaders of Finland and Norway, hosted Qatar’s emir and Iran’s president at a forum for gas-exporting countries, and accompanied African heads of state around a Moscow exhibition. During the visit, he urged African governments to control social media networks, warning that they could otherwise face mass protests similar to those in France.
At the exhibition, Putin promoted Russia’s alternative to Starlink and said Moscow remained in close contact with Elon Musk, whom he described as “a brilliant man.”
The Russian leader has received praise, invitations to high-level meetings and concessions from Washington while continuing to escalate the war and showing no intention of compromising. The Trump administration is reportedly considering lifting sanctions on Russia’s main government investment fund. That followed President Donald Trump’s agreement to import Russian diesel fuel and remarks from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff praising Putin as a humanitarian.
Stefan Meister, a Russia analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said the developments were likely being celebrated in the Kremlin because Russia was receiving benefits it had not expected.
Putin is scheduled to travel to Shenzhen, China, in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. A possible meeting there with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump would place Russia alongside the two other powers. Putin could also travel to Miami in December for the Group of 20 summit after Trump extended an invitation, a prospect that has unsettled some U.S. allies.
Sources: The New York Times World.