Turkey . . . Hungary . . . Slovakia. As reported earlier today, all three lining up in obeisance to Vladimir Putin, backing his stance on the invasion of Ukraine and anything else he might demand of them. All three members of NATO, defying the solidarity of their fellow members. All three conveniently forgetting — or ignoring — the Soviet yoke thrown off by Eastern Europe just three decades ago.

Distressed by their inexplicable perfidy, I likened them to the Three Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I did not imagine that before the day was over, the Three Witches would become the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse . . . adding Poland to their number of evildoers.

Enough imagery. What happened while I was focused on events in Russia is that the President of NATO member Poland, Andrzej Duda, traveled to China on June 24th to meet with that country’s leader, Xi Jinping — avowed backer of Vladimir Putin and his war against Ukraine. The meeting at the Great Hall of the People included a full honor guard and a 21-gun salute. Duda reportedly told Xi that relations between Poland — which had once inspired democratic movements with its push for democracy — and China — which is a communist state — remain strong. [AP, June 24, 2024.]

Xi’s response: “Over the past 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, bilateral relations have maintained steady development, constantly injecting new vitality into the traditional friendship between the two countries.” [Id.]

How sweet! How heart-warming! How quickly we forget Poland’s Solidarnosc (Solidarity) movement of the 1980s, and then-President Lech Walesa’s ousting of communist rule immediately following his 1990 election.

I shudder to think of what he must be feeling at this turn of events, as he recalls the years of struggle to drag his country out of the Soviet Union’s oppressive control. Was it all for nothing?

Because here was Duda saying that Poland was aiming for closer commercial relations with China, even referencing Xi’s “Belt and Road Initiative” — an ambitious program designed to expand China’s political and economic influence as a means to overtake the United States as world leader. Make no mistake: China wants nothing less than world domination, no matter how long it takes to achieve it.

*. *. *

And meanwhile, back in the Kremlin . . .

There was my buddy Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, expressing Russia’s appreciation for the efforts of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban “to clarify the positions of Russia and Ukraine on resolving their conflict.” [Reuters, July 8, 2024.]

“Mr. Orban is taking a serious initiative to compare the positions of the different sides based on original sources, and we appreciate these efforts of Mr. Orban. There is a whole set of disagreements among the parties concerned, but at least Mr. Orban is making a very serious attempt to understand the essence of these disagreements, which is very much appreciated.”

Oh, yes — Mr. Orban is very serious indeed. It seems that on Monday, he also made a surprise visit to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping on what Orban described as the third leg of a “peace mission.” Both the European Commission and the Ukrainian government have disavowed Orban’s efforts in this regard.

And not incidentally, the peripatetic Mr. Orban is due in Washington for the NATO summit this week. We’ll see how that goes for him.

*. *. *

So there we have it: the Four Horsemen, Russia, and China. A scenario beyond even my wildest nightmare imaginings. But it’s all too real.

And I haven’t even mentioned India yet.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/8/24