News Analysis Xi Jinping is the winner, whether or not Vladimir Putin massively invades Ukraine any time soon. By surrounding Ukraine with troops, naval forces, and military “exercises” to the point of full readiness for an all-out military invasion, Putin and his partner in crime Xi have learned what the United States and allies are willing to do—and not do—in the defense of a democracy that is peripheral to U.S. alliance systems. Russia’s preparations for war, and the West’s relative inaction, informs Xi’s own awful calculus about a potential Taiwan invasion, and diverts the international spotlight from his “Genocide Games.” If Putin actually invades, the West and Russia could militarily and economically debilitate each other, empowering Xi even more. Short of war, what are Putin and Xi learning? The United States and allies are willing to threaten massive economic sanctions against Russia, likely to include removal of the country from …
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