Russia's stance is very subtle! After the tariff negotiations between China and the US, Russia made its voice heard! On June 19th, Russian President Putin stated that there are issues regarding tariffs and trade relations between the United States and China. Yes, China has a trade surplus. Perhaps this should be balanced. I agree with the views of our Chinese friends. It is necessary to act calmly during the negotiation process, and it is entirely possible to achieve the desired results. I am in no doubt that the US will ultimately achieve this goal, which is precisely what this administration is doing.

Clearly, from President Putin's statement, Russia is evidently seeking to balance between China and the US. Firstly, Russia mentioned that China should balance its trade surplus. Secondly, this time Russia seems not to express any position on the US tariff coercion methods nor emphasize support for free trade. Thirdly, Russia believes that the US will ultimately achieve this goal, but the Russian side does not specify what goal the US needs to achieve?

Russia's position, of course, reflects the basic stance of an independent major power. However, we can easily make a judgment that when China and the US are engaged in intense economic and trade games, Russia wants to place itself in a relatively advantageous position. From the perspective of Russia's interests, Russia hopes to ease its relationship with the US. This not only helps the US lift sanctions on Russia but also contributes to improving Russia's relationship with Europe.

In fact, when Trump previously stated that expelling Russia from G8 was a mistake, Russia even issued a statement agreeing with the US position. Therefore, we can easily draw a conclusion that when facing the game between China and the US, Russia will try to balance the relationship between the two countries as much as possible without showing obvious bias towards either side. Russia's stance undoubtedly reflects the position of a mature major power.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835323509666826/

Disclaimer: The article represents the author's personal opinion.