Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave in to “numerous requests from Orthodox worshippers” and donated the 15th-century “Trinity” icon to the Russian Orthodox Church. The icon is believed to be the work of religious artist Andrei Rublev and many experts and artists advised against the turnover claiming that the church did not have the ability to take care of such a fragile piece of art, voicing concerns that it would eventually be destroyed.
A week after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Xi to visit Ukraine soon in remarks he made in a recently published Associated Press interview.
While the British downplay any nuclear risks related to this irresponsible move, injecting this type of material into a country that has already suffered the devastating effects of the Chernobyl disaster is the height of irresponsibility. Depleted uranium shells punch a hole through the target upon impact, while uranium burns itself into tiny particles that spread out in the atmosphere. Inhaled or ingested, they can enter human bodies, causing disastrous damage due to radiation exposure and heavy metals.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been in Moscow meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and laying out Beijing’s 12-point peace plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine since Monday. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it known that he is also willing to meet with Xi to discuss Kyiv’s peace formula for a possible end to the war that entered its second year last month.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow Monday for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit has been anticipated as Russia is traditionally the first country a re-elected Chinese leader visits, and Xi was recently re-elected to a third 5-year term as China’s General Secretary. While both Russia and China have long described their relationship as a strategic partnership and friendly, Russia’s war in Ukraine has changed the dynamic of the two countries’ relationship from one of cooperation and partnership to one of co-dependency.