‘Tou, Xi? Biden calls on China, Putin tired of sinking and Zara’s return to Kiev: the 779th day of war

By phone, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping have not spoken since 2022 – even though they met “tête-à-tête” last November, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit. Even with a long 12 hour time difference, the call resumed this Tuesday and the main topic (Taiwan and Iran were also topics) could not have been anything other than the War in Ukraine.

The American president conveyed to his Chinese counterpart “concern” about what he considers to be Beijing’s support for Moscow – even though Beijing claims to be “neutral”. Although the White House never dares to question the “sovereignty” of China, which as such “will make its own decisions about its relations”, senior Biden Government officials told journalists that he, Joe Biden, considers the war machine Russia is “helped” by China and this will have “a long-term impact on European security”.

The White House does not expect any “agreements” to result from the phone call, but diplomacy will continue with visits to China in the near future by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Already in Moscow, and also this Tuesday, Vladimir Putin appointed Sergei Pinchuk, a vice admiral, new commander of the Black Sea Fleet. The appointment comes as a result of the sinking of several Russian ships by Ukrainian forces.

Pinchuk, a native of Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow, knows the Black Sea well and knows what has been going on there: until February, he was the deputy commander of the Fleet. And what has happened (since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022) is the destruction of a third of Russian ships, sunk by Ukrainian-made naval and aerial missiles and drones.

OTHER NEWS THAT MARKED THE DAY

⇒ If we daily report Russian air strikes on Ukrainian soil, Kiev’s counterattack is also news. This Tuesday, several people were injured when Ukrainian drones hit factories in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, more than 1,100 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

⇒ Distant, but not occasional, Tatarstan. One of the cities hit was Nizhnekamsk, home to a major oil refinery. Having promised retaliation for the successive and numerous bombings it has suffered, Ukraine has intensified attacks against Russia in recent weeks, mainly targeting energy installations.

⇒ Seeming as a minor event, it represents, at least, a return to a possible normality. This Tuesday, the Inditex group, owner of brands such as Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti or Bershka, announced that it will resume commercial operations (it temporarily closed its activity in February 2022 due to the war with Russia) in Ukraine with the reopening of online sales in the country, as well as 20 stores in the capital Kiev.

⇒ The Spanish group intends to open fifty stores in Kiev in the near future and move to Leópolis, 70 km from the border with Poland, always ensuring that the priority is “the safety of employees and customers”. In Russia, however, the fashion giant founded by Amâncio Ortega ceased all activity in March 2022 and at the end of that year sold the operation on Russian soil to the Daher group.