Why Putin finally planned a big trip abroad after his arrest warrant

Russian President Vladimir Putin He is reportedly set to embark on his first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued his arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.

Putin will pay his visit to China through the Belt and Road Forum in October, according to a Bloomberg report.

The ICC issued Putin’s arrest warrant in March for his alleged involvement in kidnappings and illegally deport children from Ukraine, it allegedly caused panic within the Kremlin over the stability of Putin’s government and whether the order amounted to calling for regime change.

Putin has kept a lower profile in recent months to avoid traveling to countries that might enforce the arrest warrant. He did not attend BRICS Summit in person in South Africa last week after months of back-and-forth discussions about whether it would be safe for him to do so.

Instead, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled to Johannesburg, while Putin attended virtually, in a move that has been seen as an attempt to avoid international scandal over the arrest warrant.

Putin has also been avoiding other international trips. The Russian president informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week that he will not travel to India next month to G20 Summit. A Kremlin spokesman has said Putin is too “busy” to attend.

China has performed a delicate balancing act since Putin invaded Ukraine last year. China and Russia share what they call a “unlimited partnership.” But Xi was caught off guard when Putin invaded Ukraine, according to an assessment by the US intelligence community. Even so, Beijing has refused to condemn Russia’s actions and has continued to spend billions of dollars spreading pro-Russia disinformation about the war in Ukraine.

The visit to China will take place months later President Xi Jinping visited Russia in Marchwhere he praised Putin for his “strong leadership”.

During the visit, Beijing worked to present itself as a constructive partner, sharing details about a proposed peace plan for Ukraine, one that leaned toward Russia, while claiming it was taking an “even-handed position” on the war. Xi noted at the time that the China-Russia partnership would continue with the shared goal of countering American influence on the world stage.

A lot has changed since that trip. Putin has rejected a staging revolt of Wagner’s boss Yevgeniy Prigozhinthe biggest challenge to Putin’s power in years. Prigozhin allegedly died after a mysterious plane crash which Russia watchers have said was a probable assassination orchestrated by Putin himself in an attempt to shore up power.

Beijing has also been experiencing some turmoil among senior officials in recent weeks. First, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.He disappeared and was later fired. Then, earlier this month, Beijing replaced head of China’s rocket force unitGeneral Li Yuchao and his deputy, in a sign that Xi may be uncomfortable with his sense of control over his regime, as The Daily Beast reported.

The meeting also comes as Russia prepares to assume the BRICS presidency in January, at a time when the club (an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is considering adding new members to grow its political power. and collective economy. influence on the world stage.

For Russia, changing the group’s membership is likely to be seen as a way to hinder Moscow’s isolation in the international arena while Putin continues to wage war in Ukraine.

For China, some of the changes on the horizon could be a way to show unity and support for Beijing after alienating allies with its “unlimited partnership” with Moscow, even as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, The New York Times reported.