Making sense of Russias retreat from New START, Bidens Kyiv visit and Chinas peace plan | In Focus podcast
The one-year anniversary of the ongoing war in Ukraine saw a number of related developments beyond the battle zone. First came the visit of President Joe Biden to Kyiv, where he reiterated the motto of \u2018As long as it takes\u201d for American support to the Ukrainian war effort, underlining that the US is in it for the long haul. Then President Vladimir Putin, in his state of the nation speech announced that Russia was \u201csuspending\u201d its participation in the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the last of the major treaties in place to curb an unfettered nuclear arms race. Next China released what has been variously described as a \u201cpeace plan\u201d and a \u201cposition paper\u201d on bringing an end to the Russo-Ukraine war.\nSo what are the implications of each of these developments? Will China\u2019s peace plan be taken seriously by the West? Will Biden\u2019s domestic opponents allow his administration to funnel endless billions into this war? Will Russia\u2019s \u2018suspension\u2019 of its participation in New START destabilise a fragile strategic balance?