Internationalism No. 82, December 2025 Page 16 Ultimately, what will become of the negotiations surrounding the conflict in Ukraine? It is impossible to say. War is a strange matryoshka doll, where each front contains its own conflicts, dividing alliances and bringing adversaries closer together. At the outset, Putin thought he could get it over with in a matter of weeks: a special military operation , as he called it. But he has become entangled in a long war of attrition; his military advantage no longer compensates for the weakness of his economy and his dependence on Xi's China. Beijing has finely balanced a sort of active neutrality. It has declared eternal friendship with Russia but is signalling that it could mute its support for Moscow in exchange for recognition of its vital interest in reunification with Taiwan. Europe has been caught off guard by the conflic...