Putin Tries To Flex Muscle at Virtual Shanghai Parley

President Putin, in a bid to project confidence in the wake of a short-lived revolt, said in a meeting of a new international organization Tuesday that the Russian people are “united as never before,” though offered little evidence of such unity.The Shanghai Cooperation Organization parley, hosted via videoconference by India, was Mr. Putin’s first multilateral summit since an armed rebellion rattled Russia and comes as he is eager to show the West has failed to isolate Moscow over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.The Asian security grouping, founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances, also welcomed Iran as a new member, bringing its motley membership to nine nations.Speaking by video link from the Kremlin, Mr. Putin praised the organization for “playing an increasingly significant role in international affairs” although the significance of that role is highly debatable.The Russian strongman thanked the member states for supporting Russian authorities during the short-lived mutiny mounted by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, and said the West had turned Ukraine into “a virtually hostile state — anti-Russia.” Mr. Putin has frequently lashed out at the West for its support of Ukraine in the war.The summit did present an opportunity for Mr. Putin to show he remains in control after the insurrection left some wondering about divisions among Russian elites. “The solidarity and responsibility for the fate of the fatherland was clearly demonstrated by the Russian political circles and the entire society by standing as a united front against the attempted armed rebellion,” he said.Earlier speakers avoided direct references to the war, while bemoaning its global consequences.A declaration adopted at the virtual summit also made no reference to Ukraine, but it said threats and challenges are “becoming more and more complex, destructive and dangerous, existing conflicts are aggravating and new conflicts are emerging.”In his opening speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India warned of global challenges to food, fuel and fertilizer supplies but didn’t mention the war in Ukraine. Trade in all three has been disrupted by the war.Mr. Modi also took a veiled swipe at Pakistan, saying the group shouldn’t hesitate to criticize countries that are “using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy.”“Terrorism poses a threat to regional peace and we need to take up a joint fight,” Modi said without naming Pakistan. India regularly accuses Pakistan of training and arming insurgent groups, a charge that Islamabad denies.In his speech, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, denounced terrorism and defended his country’s role in the fight against it.“While the sacrifices made by Pakistan in fighting terrorism are without parallel, this scourge continues to plague our region and…any temptation to use it as a cudgel for diplomatic point scoring must be eschewed.”Mr. Sharif also hailed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, saying it could be a “game changer for connectivity, stability, peace and prosperity in the region.”Six of the nine SCO members — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — reaffirmed their support for the BRI initiative, the declaration said.India opposes the initiative because it is being built through a portion of Kashmir under the control of Pakistan that New Delhi considers to be included in its part of the divided territory.The SCO includes the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, all former Soviet republics in which Russian influence runs deep. India and Pakistan became members in 2017. Belarus is also in line for membership.Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, said that “the benefits of the official membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the SCO will be historic.”Mr. Raisi’s speech expressed the hope that membership will prepare the ground for improving collective security, respect for the sovereignty of member nations, sustainable development, and confronting environmental threats.The UN secretary-general, António Guterres said in a message that the summit was taking place amid growing global challenges and risks.President Xi called on members to work toward “long-term peace and stability in the region,” according to a readout of his speech posted by state broadcaster CCTV.He said China wants to “better synergize” the country’s Belt and Road Initiative — a trillion-dollar infrastructure investment project criticized in the West for burdening smaller countries with large amounts of debt — with other nations’ own development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives.Even as the SCO continues to expand, the group remains at risk of competing interests or conflicts between member states.New Delhi and Beijing, for example, are locked in a three-year standoff of thousands of soldiers stationed along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region.And the SCO summit took place as Moscow relies more deeply on Beijing as its war in Ukraine drags on. While New Delhi has avoided criticizing Russia’s invasion, Moscow’s China ties could irk India in the long run and complicate its relationship with Cold War ally Russia.The optics of Mr. Putin’s presence at the virtual parley were likely meant to play well for his domestic Russian audience. His global standing was already at a nadir thanks to the invasion of Ukraine and further bruised by the recent rebellion. Despite making more public appearances, the Russian leader’s reputation may already be damaged beyond repair.

Putin Tries To Flex Muscle at Virtual Shanghai Parley

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