Jamestown Foundation: Ukraine Foundation’s Senior Fellow, Security and Eastern Europe, Maksym Beznosiuk analyzes cultural erasure and military occupation of Eastern Ukraine.

Geneva: Ukraine Foundation’s International Advisory Board Member Ambassador Pierre Andrieu Commenting In Le Temps that Putin Now Plays the Junior Partner to Xi

In an interview with Le Temps (2 September 2025), French diplomat Pierre Andrieu stressed that the balance of power between Moscow and Beijing has shifted decisively: Vladimir Putin is no longer the leading partner in this relationship, but increasingly dependent on Xi Jinping’s China.

Ambassador Andrieu notes that while Russia still offers energy resources, military weight, and geopolitical disruption, these assets are outweighed by China’s economic might, global influence, and strategic patience. For the first time in their shared history, Moscow’s leader stands in the “shadow of his big brother” Xi. This dynamic reflects not only the growing asymmetry between the two regimes but also the limits of Russia’s ability to independently shape the international order amid its ongoing war against Ukraine.