THE SQUIZ
Munich was the hot place to be this weekend for important geopolitical types. And it’s on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference where some big meetings have taken place – most notably, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. A hot topic was China’s surveillance activities, and Blinken made it clear “the United States will not stand for any violation of our sovereignty”. For China’s part, Wang said America’s response after a high-altitude surveillance balloon was shot down off the South Carolina coast was “absurd and hysterical”. But the main game at the conference was Russia’s war on Ukraine and China’s part in bringing about peace.

WHAT’S CHINA’S ROLE IN THE UKRAINE WAR?
We’re glad you asked… Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are besties. And since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago, the West has pressured Xi and China’s top officials to denounce the war and talk to their Russian counterparts about a retreat. That hasn’t happened, but China has walked a fine line down the middle (except late last year when Xi rejected the use of nuclear weapons after Putin made that threat…). But China is set to step it up this week when Xi delivers a “peace speech” outlining his position on resolving the Ukraine conflict. Reports say there will also be a document on maintaining warring countries’ territorial integrity. Despite that, the US isn’t convinced that China is about to break with Russia – it’s concerned that under their ‘unlimited partnership’, China could move to provide Russia with weapons and other support.

DID YOU SAY THE WAR IS A YEAR OLD?
You’re on fire for a Monday… Friday is the anniversary, and the Munich get-together was an opportune moment for American and European leaders to discuss their support for Ukraine as it fights the war. But there isn’t universal support for that strategy – many leaders from Africa, Asia and South America say they are suffering under high prices brought about by war-disrupted supply chains – they want peace ASAP. Later this week, the United Nations General Assembly will vote on a draft resolution “to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine. If passed, it carries no legal weight, but Ukraine and its supporters hope it helps keep the pressure on Russia to withdraw. Estimates say 40-60,000 Russian soldiers and 14,000 Ukrainian troops and civilians have died, but that’s a best guess with no updated official numbers released by either side.