One notion crossed former Taiwan Presidential spokesman Kolas Yotaka’s mind when she saw Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.She informed me that Xi Jinping and Putin were comparable. “Because they both think they stand for the former imperial power in their own nations. Furthermore, they have been selected as the leaders who can protect their nations from outside forces. They believe they have been selected. They also wish to hold onto power indefinitely. However, this is unsettling. Furthermore, this is absurd.
Nonsense or not, Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has now entered its third year, costing tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars – and counting.
Putin justified his military aggression toward Ukraine, in part by invoking historical grievances and nationalism. His rationale echoes the narrative of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who consistently frames Beijing’s claim over Taiwan through a lens of historical entitlement and national rejuvenation.“Anyone who cares about democracy, anyone who cares about human rights, they have to pay attention,” Kolas warned – referring to the parallels between Putin’s justifications for his invasion of Ukraine and Xi’s rhetoric around Taiwan – and the threat both autocratic leaders’ ambitions pose to those democracies.
Earlier this month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave a similar warning, pointing to Putin’s 2022 visit to Beijing, days before he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.“(Putin) signed an agreement with President Xi where they promised each other a partnership without any limits,” Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference.
“And what we see is that China and Russia are (becoming) closer and closer. So of course, if President Putin wins in Ukraine, it’s not only challenging for the Ukrainians … it sends a message not only to Putin, but also to Xi that when they use military force, they get what they want.
“What happens in Ukraine today can happen in Taiwan tomorrow.”China’s ruling Communist Party says the self-ruling democracy of Taiwan is part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has vowed to take the island, by force if necessary. China has pushed back against comparisons between Taiwan and Ukraine, pointing out that only a handful of countries recognize the island’s sovereignty.Delusions of national identity
Putin’s interview with Carlson was a softball affair, critics say, providing a platform for the Russian president to expound on his territorial ambitions over Ukraine.
He spoke of historical entitlement, rejected external interference and justified Russia’s unprovoked brutality on its fellow former Soviet state as necessary to protect its national interests.And he went even further – making what many considered a bizarre argument that the Ukrainian soldiers dying in droves to defend their democratic homeland actually identify as Russian. “Suddenly the Ukrainian soldiers were screaming from there in Russian. Perfect Russians, saying Russians do not surrender, and all of them perished. They still identify themselves as Russian. What is happening is to a certain extent, an element of a civil war,” Putin claimed.
Critics of Putin say he seems to be living in his own autocratic fantasy world, surrounded by an echo chamber of sycophants (Carlson, apparently one of them), who are either too delusional or too afraid to push back against Putin’s portrayal of Ukraine as inherently Russian, with its citizens still identifying as such.I was on the ground in 2014 and 2022 covering Russia’s war on Ukraine and observed the exact opposite sentiment.
Not a single Ukrainian told me they identify as Russian. Everyone I interviewed spoke passionately (in Ukrainian) about their vehement hatred for the Russians who have bombed and brutalized their battle-scarred nation – tearing apart families and entire communities grappling with unspeakable loss. Observers believe public opinion matters little to leaders like Putin and Xi, who have managed to consolidate near absolute power by cracking down on dissent, controlling the flow of information, and suppressing potential threats.
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