Global Times: Putin strikes back at Biden

Vladimir Putin's talks with the leaders of Turkey and Iran in Tehran became a "retaliatory blow" to Washington's attempts to assert its influence in the region, writes the Chinese newspaper Global Times.

According to experts, although the visit of the Russian president was planned, in the light of recent events it has acquired a special significance. We are talking about Joe Biden's recent working trip to the Middle East, from where he returned, in fact empty-handed: in particular, the head of the White House could not convince the representatives of Saudi Arabia of the need to increase oil production.

At the same time, Putin discussed with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts many strategically important issues, including the settlement of the situation in Syria.

Zhu Weili, director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at Shanghai University of International Studies, said that the Russian leader's productive trip after Biden's relatively useless visit looks like "a punch in the face of the United States." This is especially noticeable after the US President's statements about the need to "fill the vacuum" that Moscow, Beijing or Tehran can take advantage of.

Experts believe that in recent years Russia has significantly strengthened ties with Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Washington, on the contrary, is losing influence in the region due to major changes on the world stage.

This happens, among other things, because the local centers of power have great autonomy and are pursuing an increasingly independent foreign policy. Russia, on the other hand, has established pragmatic relations with the countries of the Middle East, and this confirms that the attempts of the West to "drive it into a diplomatic corner" have not been successful, the author of the article summed up.