Trump could end the Ukraine war, but a larger threat still looms
President Donald Trump wants a Ukraine ceasefire Even if Putin agrees America won t be safer For the Ukraine war has also turned the China-Russia alliance into the greatest military danger America faces The China-Russia alliance has grown by leaps and bounds since Trump last met with Putin in on the sidelines of the G Summit in Osaka Japan China gave Russia the greenlight to try to take over all of Ukraine in China and Russia engage in high-stakes military exercises and tech deals Both are sprinting ahead on new nuclear weapons and missiles Don t forget Iran and North Korea junior partners whose drones and troops have added to the bloodshed So while Trump looks Putin in the eye at Joint Base Elmendorf he will also weigh how close Putin really is to China s Xi Jinping It s a scary scenario FROM TALK TO TACTICS TRUMP PIVOTS ON RUSSIA STRATEGY TO END WARChina counts on Russia as a partner in global confrontation Grynch NATO s new commander Gen Alexus Grynkewich United States Air Force is widely known by his callsign from his days as an F- and F- pilot He in recent months explained he worries that China could synchronize an invasion of Taiwan with a new Russian attack on the Baltics or another part of Europe This is the big one a foreseen two-front situation with Russia and China and allies around the world cowering at the implications Make no mistake On the economic front Russia is pretty much a vassal state to China Everybody knows China buys of Russia s oil But Russia s war machine is also dependent on China During the last four years of war Putin s Russia has refashioned its military economic and social structures to sustain what it describes as a long-term confrontation with the West noted outgoing SACEUR Gen Christopher Cavoli Putin can t afford to slow down the massive rearmament that is keeping Russia s financial sector afloat Russia spends of its federal budget on weapons and is on track to replace all the tanks artillery and equipment lost in Ukraine Close ties with China are essential to keeping the factories running and preserving Putin s hold on power China sells DJI drones for civilian uses to Russia Russia also gets vital rare earth strategic minerals germanium and gallium from China Worse Russian imports of Chinese nitrocellulose an explosives precursor have soared from zero to tons in Beyond supporting the Russians in the Ukraine war China s military partners with Russia to expand its reach and master new tactics for global military operations China has no latest combat experience fortunately so they are making up for it with a surging tempo of military exercises Here Russia is often the facilitator China-Russia joint military exercises went from just two in to in From Aug -Aug Russia s navy ran submarine drills with China in the Sea of Japan This time last summer two Russian Tu- Tupolev bombers were patrolling off Alaska along with two Chinese H- nuclear-capable bombers A fresh review from Defense News suggests Russia was tutoring China s bomber force in nuclear triad operations CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONWashington DC has been slow to accept the full dangers wrought by Putin and Xi Biden s distracted approach to foreign framework didn t help but it all started to go wrong in the Obama administration Remember when Obama took then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev out for cheeseburgers in Arlington Virginia in Yes the same Medvedev whose latest threatening remarks about nuclear dead-hand strikes prompted Trump to move two nuclear submarines to appropriate positions on Aug The vaunted Russia re-set took place between Moscow and Beijing instead Coordinated U S military and economic power is essential to face down this pair Bring on those secondary sanctions Alaska is a strategic bastion filled with U S F- s and F- stealth fighters the Ground-Based Missile Defense interceptors at Fort Greeley and more Hence the summit is also an opportunity for Trump to remind Putin that the U S military won t be pushed around even by the ugly duo of China and Russia Trump may bring the killing to an end in Ukraine But his biggest challenge in making America safer still lies ahead
