What Putin expects from Santa Claus

By Costas Raptis

The marathon press conference on December 23 with which Russian President Vladimir Putin ended (communicatively) the year, in the tradition he has formed for years, was not only a show of strength, but also had its light moments, but also they concealed sharp messages.

For almost four hours, the Kremlin strongman answered 44 questions from various international and mainly domestic media outlets and even blogs of the Russian periphery, displaying numerous figures outside the manuscript, reminding him of his unique memory skills and overall global control. on the political agenda.

Until at some point he received a question about the gift he is waiting for from Santa Claus …

In Russia, of course, the bearded old man who fulfills the wishes of children during the holidays is called neither Santa Claus nor Santa Claus, but Ded Moroz, meaning “Old Man” and his dress is usually deep. It is an old Slavic pagan tradition, which the Soviet authorities had initially tried to suppress, but eventually appropriated majestically.

The question was posed to Putin by a journalist from a Volagda district newspaper, which is said to be the homeland of Diet Maros, and was triggered by a lawsuit filed by a St. Petersburg lawyer against the legendary bearded old man, who has not been married for 23 years. his wishes.

“I am also a bicyclist from St. Petersburg,” Putin replied, offering to develop the defensive line of Diet Maros, who, as he recalled, only gives gifts to good children. publicity, he countered that he does not find anything wrong if it is accompanied by humor.

Regarding his personal relationship with Diet Maros, the Russian leader said he was satisfied, especially with his “gift” of being able to address the people for another year, but stressed that the crucial factor is what collective wishes are to be fulfilled.

If he were more honest, however, he would admit that his own Santa Claus is a schist, as he incarnates in the form of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

It was a coincidence that on the same day that the Russian Foreign Ministry handed over to the American side the two drafts of international treaties laying down the Russian “red lines” for security issues in Europe, in another part of Moscow Putin had the his telephone conversation with the Chinese leader?

And it is probably no coincidence that the Russian president will be the first post-pandemic foreign leader to visit Beijing on the occasion of the February Winter Olympics, when he will meet Xi live after two years and co-sign, as was released, “an important political document” with his counterpart.

At the same time, it is announced by the Russian space agency Roscosmos that Russia and China will sign a new five-year cooperation in space within the new year, which will include, among other things, the plan to establish an international research station on the Moon by 2035 (alternative to American Artemis project), but also the connection of Glonass and BeiDou, which are the Russian and Chinese satellite navigation systems, respectively, competing with GPS.

At the same time, consultations are underway for the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which will follow the 2,200-kilometer route of the Power of Siberia 1 pipeline, which was inaugurated in 2019 and is expected to reach its full capacity in 2025, when it will transfer 38 bcm of gas per year from eastern Siberia to China. Chinese state-owned companies have already made large investments in the Russian energy sector. In other words, the thriller about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany does not create a dead end for the Russian side.

The reason why the Russian leader feels empowered to harden his stance towards the West is something that cannot be explained without reference to the … royal gifts he receives from the East. After all, the pressure that Russia itself receives from the United States finds its full meaning only if it joins the plan to encircle and restrain their biggest competitor that is emerging in the Far East.