Before boarding a visit to China, Putin made two major arrangements, the European Union was angry, no wonder the United States would rush to contact Beijing.

On August 28, China announced the list of foreign heads of state participating in the September 3rd military parade. Russian President Vladimir Putin ranked first. This was not just a matter of order, but a clear signal from China to the outside world that Sino-Russian relations are at an all-time high.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov subsequently emphasized thatPutin's visit to China is "unprecedented".This word is not commonly used in diplomatic situations. Once used, it means that something is about to happen.

Sure enough, Putin made two actions before boarding the plane, which quickly stirred up the whole western public opinion field.

First, the Kremlin clarified two things to the outside world: first, there is no so-called "air ceasefire agreement" between Russia and Ukraine; second, Russia has no plans to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

These two clarifications directly counter to US Vice President Watson’s previous statement that “Russia has made major concessions.”

Second, almost at the same time, the Russian military launched a new round of attack on Kiev. This wave of strikes was unusual, not only on a large scale, but also hit the offices of the European Union in Kiev and the British Cultural Association.

European Commission President Von der Leyen immediately spoke out,"The situation is quite critical"He also called on European countries to respond promptly.

Putin's two moves are ostensibly aimed at Ukraine, but in fact each move is precisely on the soft underbelly of the West.

Why did he choose to clarify that "there is no ceasefire and no talks" before his visit to China? The fundamental purpose is to break the illusions of the Zelensky government and its European and American supporters behind it.

Recently, Western media has been constantly releasing news that "Russia and Ukraine are about to hold peace talks" and "Putin's attitude will soften", as if the war is about to end.

But this time Putin turned the table straight, telling everyone that this was not the case.

What is particularly interesting is that Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also added an extra knife,"Russia has never put a Putin-Zelensky meeting on the agenda," he said.

Russia's attitude is already very obvious: Negotiations are okay, but it is not up to you to decide, let alone follow the script you set.

All this has a subtle connection with Zelensky’s previous rejection of China as a state guarantor of security.

The Ukrainian side once relied on the so-called "security guarantees" provided by Europe and the United States, trying to exclude China from the mediation process.But Putin told him with action that the promises made by Europe and the United States were not reliable at all, and without China's involvement, this war could not stop.

In fact, it is also a clever diplomatic psychological warfare.

Putin seems to be suggesting that:Since you in the West are unwilling to let China get involved, I will use military action and diplomacy to tighten the situation again. In the end, you will have to beg China to come out and clean up the mess.

Look at the military level again. The Russian air strike this time is sensitive to the time point and the choice of targets is more sensitive. Impartial, it hit the European Union office in Kiev. You say this is an accidental bombing? In the diplomatic context, there is almost no such thing as "accidental bombing", especially in the era of precision-guided weapons.

It is more likely that this is a warning strike with a strong political message. The target is not Ukraine, but the European Union.

Putin seemed to be using a missile to tell Europe: Every symbol and institution you have in Ukraine is not in a safe area. As long as you continue to provide military aid to Ukraine and continue to stand on the front line of anti-Russia, Russia will dare to extend the war to your "nominal territory."

That's why von der Leyen was so rarely furious。 She said, "The situation is quite criticalIn fact, it suggests that the conflict is escalating and that Europe can no longer be left behind.

This sense of crisis is exactly what Putin wants. He wants to plunge the EU into the debate on "whether to continue to support Ukraine" again, and even use this to divide the positions of European countries.

And this move also indirectly responded to the United States. Doesn't the United States want the situation between Russia and Ukraine to be "controllable"? Don't you want to sell arms and act as a mediator at the same time? Putin just made the scene bigger again, making the United States realize that if there is no serious negotiation, the war may really spill over.

Sure enough, the United States responded!

The most memorable is the statement of US Vice President Vance. He said that the US side has "contacted China many times" and hopes that China will come forward to stop the war. But the question is, why did the US say this publicly?Isn't diplomatic communication generally low-key and behind the scenes?

The only plausible explanation is that the United States wants to use public opinion to pressure China, while appeasing European allies and creating an image of "we are trying to stop the war". But this in turn shows that the United States itself has lost confidence in managing the situation.

In fact, from Trump to Biden, the attitude of the United States on the Ukraine issue has always wavering. They neither want to see Russia win nor bet fully on Ukraine; I hope to consume Russia, but I am afraid that the expansion of the war will drag myself into the water.

This contradiction is clearly seen by Putin.

Therefore, Putin increased the offensive and raised the code before visiting China, which is to say that the United States will eventually find China, because of the current five permanent members, only China has not officially intervened in the mediation, but also only China, at the same time has the right to speak to Russia and communication channels with the West.

This is the most ironic part of the crisis.

The West has attempted to marginalize China, and has had to ask China for help, while Putin, with both military and diplomatic arrangements,Expose this absurdity completely.

Will China be able to accept it easily?

Unless Ukraine formally invites China to become a security guarantor, and unless Europe and the United States are willing to treat China as an equal mediator rather than a pawn, there is no need for China to take the initiative to jump into the quagmire of this major power game.

Moreover, since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, China has been taking practical actions to promote talks between the two sides, but as long as the United States and the West do not let go, it will be difficult to restore peace to the past on Ukrainian soil.

References:
2025-08-29: Russian presidential press secretary: Russia and Ukraine have not reached any agreement on the air ceasefire
2025-08-29: Kiev has killed 22 people!Zelensky: This is one of the largest attacks launched by Russia!