Friends of the Kremlin! The countries that save Russia from the abyss News from Fakti.bg – World

Sanctions imposed by the United States and Western countries on Russia due to the war in Ukraine were aimed at making Russia an absolutely isolated country, but so far they have not brought the expected result.

The so-called “friendly countries” – for political, economic and ideological reasons – do not intend to give up the opportunities offered to them by the more or less announced ties with Russia.

In a world increasingly fragmented and composed of rival countries, this relationship between Putin's Russia and other countries takes on multiple meanings. According to an analysis by Greg Sullivan and Anthony Halpin for Bloomberg, countries are aligning with Moscow to defend their interests and assert their positions in organizations such as BRICS.

Some are motivated by pragmatic interests, focused on energy, commercial or economic considerations. For others, military cooperation and weapons are at the heart of their ties with Moscow. In most cases, they share with Russia a common vision of the global world, based on their desire to change the post-Cold War world order, in which the leading power is the United States.

Here are which countries are “taking” Russia out of isolation:

CHINA

China acts as a diplomatic and economic lifeline for Moscow. Russia buys electronics, industrial equipment and cars while selling oil and gas to its Asian neighbors, although – as is the case with gas – at a lower price than it once earned in supplying Europe with blue fuel.

Bilateral trade will reach a record $240 billion in 2023. Beijing is a partner that also shares the Kremlin's goal of challenging the U.S.-led order and encroaching on spheres of influence of Washington.

Additionally, Russia and China are increasingly coordinating their positions at the UN Security Council, where both sides have vetoed the US draft resolution on a Gaza ceasefire. Their military cooperation is also deepening, and Russia has sold some of its most advanced weapons systems to China.

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia tried its best not to condemn Russia after the start of the war. Putin also visited the kingdom in December in one of his rare foreign trips, demonstrating that he is still welcome in some parts of the world.

In addition to the OPEC+ partnership, Saudi Arabia benefits from Russian aid to avoid its isolation. Putin was one of the few leaders to host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the 2018 G20 meeting, two months after the Washington Post journalist's assassination. Jamal Khashoggi.

US President Joe Biden has changed course, after initially promising to isolate Riyadh following Khashoggi's killing, and is now trying to strengthen the alliance between the two countries. But as Saudi Arabia's foreign policy becomes increasingly tied to economic interests, ties with Moscow will likely only strengthen.

IRAN

Russia has contacted Iran to obtain drones for use in its war in Ukraine, and Russian and Iranian officials have discussed strengthening financial and banking cooperation to ease sanctions pressure. Iran is turning to Russia for weapons, including air defense systems and fighter jets, to replace Tehran's aging equipment and is counting on Moscow to build the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Tehran has joined Russia in supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the war in Syria and shares Moscow's hostility to the US presence in the Middle East.

TURKEY

Putin is juggling geopolitical rivalry with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over Syria, Libya and the Caucasus region while promoting trade to his third-largest export market. Turkey has also become a key center for indirect imports of sanctioned goods.

Although he sided with Ukraine in the war, Erdogan refused to join sanctions against Russia, which is a major gas supplier to Ankara. Turkish tourism and agriculture are heavily dependent on the Russian market. Erdogan also played the role of mediator between Ukraine and Russia, helping to broker deals on grain supplies and prisoner exchanges.

INDIA

India, the world's third-largest crude oil consumer, has been a major buyer of Russian oil at lower prices since Ukraine's invasion. Stricter enforcement of US sanctions, which attempt to stem the flow of petrodollars into the Kremlin's coffers, has to some extent destabilized the supply. Relations with India provide legitimacy to Russia as it “courts” the so-called Global South.

Close ties with Russia also provide a counterbalance to other major world powers, helping India maintain its strategic autonomy.

SOUTH AFRICA

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to condemn Putin for the war or support UN resolutions condemning Moscow for the invasion. Both countries are members of BRICS, which gives their leaders the opportunity to interact regularly. Ramaphosa convinced Putin to skip last year's BRICS summit in Johannesburg and attend virtually, saving Pretoria from having to decide whether to stop it.

Although trade between Russia and South Africa is negligible, the two countries have long-standing historical ties that stem from the proactive stance taken by the Soviet Union against the dominant white minority power in the past . A number of senior African National Congress officials sought asylum and received military training in Russia during apartheid. Russian companies were racing to build new nuclear power plants in South Africa during the tenure of former President Jacob Zuma, although projects have been frozen since Ramaphosa came to power in 2018 due to high costs.

HUNGARY

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government maintains close ties with Putin, with the Hungarian leader meeting his Russian counterpart in Beijing last October. This gave Putin an ally within the EU, which has repeatedly blocked financial aid to Ukraine, threatened to derail negotiations on Kiev's membership in the bloc and even delayed more than one year since Sweden joined NATO.

Hungary is one of the few EU countries that still receives Russian gas, and the Russian nuclear company “Rosatom” retains a leading role in the expansion of its only nuclear power plant.

NORTH KOREA

The growing friendship with Kim Jong-un has brought benefits to Russia. The United States, South Korea and others say North Korea is sending massive amounts of artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles.

In exchange, Russia is accused of supplying Pyongyang with food, raw materials and parts used in weapons production. Russia also vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to expand the panel of experts responsible for reporting on the development of North Korea's nuclear arsenal.