By John Helmer, Moscow
@bears_with
The 73-year old President Xi Jinping, and 80-year old President Donald Trump said too much to each other in Washington last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin, turning 74 next week, left several things unsaid but meant. Whose voice is of the stronger man?
According to Trump, Xi, “looks strong, vibrant, and fit – Better than ever.” Trump meant that to be a contrastive compliment for the seven-years younger man, and flattery of himself. That’s because, to Trump, it was plainly untrue from the moment Xi stepped down the stairs of his aircraft, holding very tightly to his wife’s hand and to the gangway rail. In 2014 Xi had a mountain-climbing and hiking fitness story to tell about himself to a Russian television interviewer.
The near-total silence of reporting, analysis, and comment in Moscow on the Washington summit meeting of Russia’s principal enemy with its principal ally is an official blackout. The reason is that Putin called in the press himself last Friday evening (September 25) in St Petersburg to deliver his assessment in advance.
As Putin was speaking, Xi and Trump were visiting the National Archives in Washington, where the document display Trump officials had arranged for show had triggered official Chinese anger. This was because the original on display of the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco ending the allied war against Japan had not been signed by China; and because that, and other documents intended for presentation to Xi, failed to commit the future of Taiwan island to the Chinese government. By that show, Xi and his principal adviser Wang Yi, understood Trump and his officials to mean they intended to rewrite the history of the war, ignore China’s intention to recover all of its territory, remilitarize Japan, and together with the US and its other allies reinforce Taiwan as a fortress and future firing platform against Beijing.
The entire display was removed before Xi and Trump arrived.
The official White House communiqué on the visit was very precise on what was served on Xi’s plate at the White House dinner the evening before, identifying bok choy in the main course, and red dahlias on the table in celebration of “the color red’s longstanding cultural significance throughout Chinese history.” Trump’s communiqué on what he and Xi discussed was expressed in the future tense: “Very productive meeting with President Xi for both the U.S.A. and China. Tremendous things will be happening.” “The meeting was one of friendship, strength, and success for both China and the USA. We will be meeting again in November in China, and then at the G20 in December, in Miami, Florida.”
The Trump intention, as the National Archives episode is interpreted in Moscow, is yet another illustration of the US strategy to rewrite history; ignore Russia’s recovery of Crimea and the Donbass; remilitarize Germany, France, UK and other NATO allies; and prepare for permanent war.
Putin let Trump and Xi understand. “We are not preparing for any fighting with Europe,” he said, “we have no such plans and no the reasons, most importantly, there are no real motives for the aggravation of the situation with Europe, whatever they say, whoever speaks.” Statements by Baltic state politicians are “nonsense [чушь]…However, this nonsense has become a fact of international life over many years… There is only one explanation for the attempts by certain aggressive circles to aggravate the situation: they want to continue using Ukraine and Ukrainians as cannon fodder and a tool in the fight against Russia, seeking to prevent our further development, to hinder it, to slow down Russia’s advancement.”
He then addressed Xi and Trump directly:
“Question: It is known that the President of the People’s Republic of China and the President of the United States are currently negotiating in the United States. How do you feel about this? Are you jealous? And are you going to the APEC summit in China, where you can hold a trilateral meeting between you?
Vladimir Putin: Jealousy is something from a completely different sphere, the sphere of a human nature, relations between a man and a woman. I do not think such categories are applicable in international politics. We welcome the negotiations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Why? Because these are the two largest economies in the world, and depending on the outcome of their negotiations on the contentious issues, the controversial issues stemming from the US-imposed illegitimate sanctions, and what kind of agreements are reached, this will affect the entire global economy, including our economy. Yes, our relations with the United States have almost been reduced to zero. But our trade turnover with the People’s Republic of China is US$240 billion. That’s a decent amount. And our trade keeps growing. Furthermore, we have a very important sphere for further development, both for us and for the People’s Republic of China. And, of course, the overall development of international economic relations is of great importance. Therefore, we welcome any positive agreements between China and the United States.
Remark: What about the APEC summit?
Vladimir Putin: Oh, the APEC summit. We still need to make a final decision. Everything will depend on the situation in the country, in our country. When deciding whether or not to participate in an international event, I always take into account the situation unfolding within the Russian Federation. But overall, this is a major and serious event, and I have received an invitation. I believe it will be useful to work on such a platform. I have told President Xi Jinping about this. I am inclined to take part in that event. However, as I have said, this will ultimately depend on the situation in Russia.”
Putin is making two things plain. He will not criticize either Xi or Trump; and he won’t commit to meeting the two of them together, not even on Xi’s invitation to Shenzhen for the APEC summit on November 18. He is discouraging the Russian press from further discussion of either point.
By mentioning “the US-imposed illegitimate sanctions”, Putin also said one thing Xi refused to say to Trump’s face in Washington. Instead, the Wang-drafted communiqué from Beijing announced only that the presidents “exchanged views on major international and regional issues including the situation in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis and the Korean Peninsula.” Xi, according to Wang, failed to tell Trump that China will not accept attempts Trump is threatening in the new Lindsey Graham Act sanctions against China’s trade with Russia or Iran.
Can the Chinese communiqué be telling the full truth to claim that Trump’s de-escalation in South Korea was on the agenda, but US escalation of Japan’s military capabilities slipped Xi’s mind?
Trump’s version of what they said — issued as a White House “fact sheet” on September 25 — is that “President Trump urged President Xi to increase production of refined petroleum products to stabilize global supply. The United States welcomes the arrival of two giant pandas, leased by China to the Atlanta Zoo…The two leaders discussed on-going global concerns, including Russia, North Korea, and Iran. They agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and that no country or institution can be allowed to impose tolls on international waterways. The two leaders recalled that United States and China were allies in World War II and fought side by side to win the war. Since World War II, the United States’ forward military presence has preserved a Free and Open Indo-Pacific contributing to generations of American prosperity. The President advocated for trilateral arms control negotiations between the United States, Russia, and China.”
The panda point is a sensitive one for the Americans. Xi had said at the White House that the pandas will come to “their new home in the Atlanta Zoo”, implying they were a permanent gift. The next day Trump insisted there is only a lend lease.
The Russia and Iran wars are a sensitive point for the Americans and Chinese. If Xi had in fact agreed with Trump that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and that no country or institution can be allowed to impose tolls on international waterways”, he did not want to tell his colleagues on the Communist Party Politburo in Beijing or the Chinese people that he had either said as much, or as little.
In one of the only open media comments published so far in Moscow, a little known analyst “described the results of the Trump–Xi Jinping talks as modest… No clearly defined position was developed on such sensitive issues as Taiwan, the South China Sea, and other delicate topics. The event turned out to be truly representative, but the substantive content turned out to be much more modest. Following the summit, Beijing and Washington managed to postpone direct confrontation only for a short time. Although the Chinese side is making concessions, it intends to drag out the process of stabilizing relations with the United States for years, hoping to further strengthen its position during this time.”
Pussyfooting is not what the Russian intelligence agencies, the General Staff, and Putin’s Security Council are required to do.
Their assessment is that Xi is not a singularly strong decision-maker and cannot negotiate with Trump without the consensus of the Politburo behind him. That consensus sat beside Xi at the meetings with Trump – Wang Yi, heading foreign policy at the Politburo; He Lifeng, heading economic policy; and Cai Qi, heading the staff secretariat. Indian intelligence assessments and the rare Chinese analyst concur that Xi is politically weak, that “no one is in charge”, that the Chinese economy is vulnerable to US trade sanctions, and that the policy consensus on display in Washington was the Politburo’s maximum, plus Xi’s postponement.
Putin’s press statement places a Russian veil over this understanding.
Click to listen or view the discussion with Nima Alhkorshid, broadcast on Tuesday evening Moscow time.
A comparison between Putin, Trump and Xi in political strength, vibrancy and fitness was presented in these charts:
PUTIN’S POLITICAL LONGEVITY UNTIL NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 2030
Source: https://www.levada.ru/en/ratings/
In April 2026 there was a change of polling methodology which has influenced measurements through the September 18-20 State Duma election.
TRUMP’S POLITICAL LONGEVITY UNTIL MIDTERM ELECTIONS, NOVEMBER 3, 2026
Source: https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/issues/military-action-iran
XI’S POLITICAL LONGEVITY UNTIL THE 21st PARTY CONGRESS ELECTIONS, OCTOBER 2027
______________________________________________________________________________
There are no comparable Chinese polls surveying Chinese public or Communist Party member opinions of Xi’s performance in office or of their assessment of US intentions on trade, Taiwan, Iran and Ukraine wars. Instead, there is speculation and wishfulness.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The opening segment of the podcast is the debunking of the alleged terrorist incident over Saturday night-Sunday morning, September 26-27, around RAF Fairford, the US Air Force nuclear-armed bomber base in western England.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/28/farmer-raf-fairford-no-follow-up On the evidence which continues to spill out, this was not a false-flag The farmer witness driving home after midnight with her husband and a young man from a party – drunk: “Despite five men having been arrested, the farmer said there were “definitely more than five” and estimated she saw between eight and 10 people with their faces covered and wearing “slim-fitting clothes”. Authorities have previously said the incident was contained. The farmer said she tried to call the MoD police, but the phone “just rang and rang and rang and no one answered”, before she phoned 101 and was put on hold. She then phoned 999 and messaged the village WhatsApp group to alert people to the unusual activity. “Literally within five minutes of that, everything sort of kicked off and armed police arrived – the guys were arrested,” she said. “The helicopter was up searching, probably for a couple of hours, and there was a lot of shouting.” She added: “The strange thing is, there was no kind of follow-up. The police didn’t ring me – they had all my details, they didn’t phone me back, and nobody told anyone in the village what was going on apart from me. “It wasn’t until probably half six in the morning when they suddenly decide to evacuate people. Meanwhile, those vans were right in the middle of the village, next to everyone’s houses and no one did anything.”
Source: https://www.ft.com/content/e9b18367-5144-4775-8ddd-d1d133672db0?syn-25a6b1a6=1 The FT report was co-authored by Charles Clover, once an FT bureau reporter in Moscow, and a confirmed propagandist for war against Russia. In his report, Clover claims that “one of the men arrested in a suspected terror incident near RAF Fairford phoned emergency services shortly before the group was detained by police early on Sunday morning, officials confirmed on Tuesday evening. Officials declined to speculate on the motive for the 999 call, which appears to have been made before a farmer alerted authorities to the men, clad in balaclavas, and three vans.” Note that the emergency call was recorded not only before the caller was arrested by the police but also before he and his associates were seen by the farmer who has claimed to be the sole witness at 12:45 am to have reported her suspicions to Fairford base security and to county police. Clover, with a record for reporting official fabrications, claims his source for the new evidence for the incident timing and the subsequent allegations against Iran and Russia was “officials”. The anonymous cover Clover attributes to them also leads him to allege: “Officers are continuing to examine the possibility that the incident was a proxy attack being carried out by potentially unwitting participants. RAF Fairford is used as a US Air Force base for strikes on Iran…The UK remains on high alert for potential terror incidents following a series of recent arrests and convictions of people suspected of committing violence or criminal damage on behalf of hostile states, including Russia and Iran.” For the Clover’s win of the Cat’s Paw award for journalism in 2012, read this. For the archive on Clover’s form for fabrication, read this.
As more precise evidence becomes available, and county and London officials contradict each other and the Americans, it is now clear this was not a false-flag operation planned and executed by MI6 and MI5, the UK security and intelligence agencies, in collaboration with the CIA.
Nor was it a retaliatory military strike by Iran through proxies, diaspora loyalists, or hired gangsters.
Source: https://x.com/CraigMurrayOrg
Source: https://x.com/trtworld/status/2104670694785040406
The incident has, however, proved to be an effective new British state propaganda operation for motivating British voters to support the wars against Russia and Iran. In truth, when the facts have been fully disclosed, the incident has been an embarrassing failure of base security around Fairford; of police response time to witness telephone calls; and of fabricated announcements by Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In info-warfare terms, the incident has been successfully exploited by British and American officials without resistance from the mainstream media, the House of Commons, or the British political parties.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkRa7Y88dBM
For more background on the British war against Iran since 1947, click to read this: https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/the-secret-british-intelligence-war-on-iran
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