In the ever-dramatic world stage, things are heating up, much like a pot left to boil over on the stove while the chef is off doing something else—namely, America’s previous Commander-in-Chief, President Donald Trump. A couple of weeks back, President Trump cheerfully asserted he’d determine the culprit in the Russia-Ukraine conflict within a fortnight. Fast forward two weeks, and well, the world is still waiting for this all-seeing rationale. Meanwhile, President Macron is eyeing the clock with the eagerness of a kid waiting for recess, warning that Russian President Putin might just be playing Trump—again. But who could be surprised if Russia is stretching this charade like the world’s longest rubber band?
As Russia persistently hammers Ukraine with another night of bombardment and drone strikes—86 in just this go-around—it seems like Moscow’s yet to buy into the peace-and-love script. This holiday weekend has turned grim for parts of Ukraine, with strikes causing grizzly damage to not just bricks and mortar but real human lives. Local officials tally one dead, others wounded, with people digging through the rubble of no less than 14 damaged apartment buildings. If this keeps up, President Trump’s diplomatic stopwatch might need a few new batteries.
Away from the smoke and fire of Eastern Europe, Russian President Putin holds court meeting plenty of new BFFs at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a jolly gathering that looks suspiciously like plotting a counterbalance to almighty America. President Xi Jinping of China, never one to miss out on a chance for some drama, pushes for a development bank to bolster these nations with loans. China’s play towards global stage prominence seems as deliberate as opening night in the theater. With India’s Prime Minister Modi and Iran’s president all chummy with Putin, it’s a big “united south” versus the rest of us.
President Putin has been diligently meeting his international comrades, nodding agreeably alongside India and Iran. Prime Minister Modi’s side-by-side stance with Russia—even in “typical” times—is reassuring, at least for Putin, who seems to be collecting friends like baseball cards. It raises the question, though, as to what these partnerships might spell for the rest of the world. A peace accord doesn’t seem to be on this meeting’s agenda yet.
Meanwhile, over in the European Union, alarm bells toll in Brussels after some suspected interference with a plane carrying the European Commission’s president. Fortunately, the incident in the skies ended without a hiccup, though it adds more disquiet to an already tense world. And, as if we’ve suddenly found our piggy bank loaded with rubles, there’s chatter about using frozen Russian assets to keep managing this mess. It is open to potentially dipping into that icy stash to prop up various international undertakings, showing once again that global politics are as predictable as the plot of a soap opera.
