Vadym Denysenko: putin fears China entering the negotiation process

russian dictator vladimir putin is apprehensive about China’s involvement in the negotiation process, as it would compel him to make certain concessions. 

This view was shared by political scientist Vadym Denysenko during a discussion at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.

“putin is genuinely very afraid that if China steps into the negotiation process, he will be forced to make certain concessions. The current state of the russian economy clearly shows that, despite the record volume of oil trade with China, with russia selling more than 50% of its oil to China last year, the trade balance between the two countries is nearing zero for the first time in many years. While it remains slightly positive now, it is almost at zero. By the end of 2024, it is highly likely that the trade balance will be zero or even negative for russia,” Denysenko explained.

Denysenko highlighted this as an example of the russian economy’s struggles, contrary to putin’s optimistic portrayals.

Additionally, Denysenko pointed out that putin’s so-called ultimatum on the eve of the Peace Summit was primarily directed at Chinese President Xi Jinping and China. Essentially, it indicated that while we (russia – Ed.) could be pressured, we were not ready to back down. This is happening amidst minor compromises continuously made in russian-Chinese relations. One significant yet largely unnoticed concession involved russia ceding part of its territory, granting China direct access to the Tumen River, the border between North Korea and russia, thereby providing China with direct access to the Sea of Japan, Denysenko noted.

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