Putin, Xi to have talks in Beijing, Ukraine likely on agenda

[Sherman A1]

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday. He is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and exchange views on mounting tension over Ukraine.

Russia's presidential office says the meeting will be the two leaders' first in-person summit since November 2019.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters last Friday that significant time will be spent on exchanging views, and that Russia's dialogue with the United States and NATO will be on the agenda.

On Thursday, Chinese state-run media carried an interview with Putin in which he expresses opposition to "attempts to politicize sport," apparently criticizing the diplomatic boycott of the Games by the US and other countries.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220203_27/

[Wicked Blue]

1. This excerpt from a Lewis Carroll poem says a lot

"'I passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye,
How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie:

The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, and meat,
While the Owl had the dish as its share of the treat.

When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as a boon,
Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon:

While the Panther received knife and fork with a growl,
And concluded the banquet by [eating the owl.]

The Voice of the Lobster,
Lewis Carroll

[Xoan]

2. One can hope