Vladimir Putin is reportedly facing a devastating collapse on the world stage if his war in Ukraine continues. It comes after a number of global leaders have called for the conflict to end, including those in Putin’s axis of evil.
Most recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the war to end during a face-to-face meeting with the Russian President. He told Putin that the conflict must move “from endless war to an end to the war,” stressing that the fighting needed to end “for the sake of humanity.” Meanwhile, other allies are also growing tired of the war, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping repeatedly calling for a ceasefire.
As reported by The Sun, James Brown, an international affairs expert, said this was “not the first time we have seen foreign leaders pressing Russia for an end to the war”. He added: “From their perspective, Putin has failed in his attempt to dominate Ukraine.”
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a close regional ally of Moscow, also recently urged Putin to stop the conflict and return to the negotiating table with Kyiv. He said in a summit in July that it “is a shame young people are dying”.
Mr Brown said Putin is now at risk of being abandoned as it “has less to offer in terms of energy and military technology”. He added that, unlike NATO, Russia has “no real allies” and “no major countries are willing to fight” for them.
He explained: “Russia has partners of convenience, there are few shared principles, there is little sense of solidarity. Instead, Russian partners, including China and India, will only support Russia so long as it suits their interests.”
Although China has become the decisive economic enabler of Russia’s war machine, President X Jinping has repeatedly called for an end to hostilities in Ukraine. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, he said Beijing intends to step up coordination to “facilitate a political settlement”.
According to Mr Brown, if China and India cut off all aid and the supply of dual-use goods to Russia, it would leave Putin’s regime exposed and reeling. There are also reports of economic struggles inside Russia which could cause Putin to put more reliance on global partners such as Modi and Xi.
