The Ukraine war has become a game of resources. Both the Russians and the West (the US and NATO) are throwing in vast amounts of munitions, armor, aircraft and manpower. Both sides are concerned about the galloping consumption of assets. Each would like to shock the other into quitting. Both are saber rattling. But only one appears to be saber rattling with nuclear weapons – risking an escalation that would devastate Europe.

Russia and China are shaping global politics while the US dominates its partners across the Atlantic, leaving European countries as mere passengers

The meeting of Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Moscow last week was met with predictable accusations in Western circles that Moscow was becoming “subservient” or even a “vassal” of Beijing.

There’s very little doubt that warfare has changed dramatically in recent decades, with the tactical gap between leading militaries and those of local powers (or even the usually overlooked small countries) narrowing as the proliferation of unmanned systems continues unabated. With the advent of the information era, the abundance of war footage has essentially eliminated the once-assured readiness of tens of millions to go to war, leaving militaries around the globe struggling to meet their recruitment quotas.

 The organizers of the second Summit for Democracy, which is set to take place virtually under US auspices later this week, are inciting participants to include anti-Russian language in the event’s concluding statement, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with the Newsweek magazine that was published on Monday.

The "organizers of the second 'Summit' are vigorously inciting others to include odious anti-Russian language in the draft of the joint final declaration," the diplomat said.

... to not repeat myself while elaborating on Putin's and Patrushev's interviews, I decided to give a very short, radically insufficient, overview: 

The West is stuck between the public sentiment which it contrived and the reality on the ground, Alastair Crooke writes.

Consequential Strategic Change – Upon leaving his meeting with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping said to Putin, “Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years – and we are driving this change together”.

As increasing evidence of the Biden family's financial ties to China comes to light, Americans are urging President Biden to address the "significant and important" connection.

On "Mornings with Maria" Monday, Maslansky + Partners President Lee Carter expressed her concern, noting that the President's relationship with Beijing poses a major threat to the nation. Her comments follow Senator Ron Johnson's recent revelation on "Sunday Morning Futures" that records from Cathay Bank – an American bank founded by Chinese Americans – matched those of U.S. regulators.