Putin's Beijing visit promises few rewards

Russia’s demotion from the ranks of great powers to a troublemaker in European security is a hard pill for Putin to swallow. The difference between his and Trump’s visits to Beijing proves this downsizing beyond a doubt. Putin’s grand vision behind his full-scale invasion of Ukraine was to reassert a claim to a pivotal global role. Russia’s apparent inability to capture even the remaining part of Donbas has destroyed that ambition. Ensuring his own grasp on power is a goal far more important to Putin than securing Russia’s long-term future.