The dangerous parallels between Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine and Xi’s claims on Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan CNN —

When former Taiwan Presidential spokesperson Kolas Yotaka watched Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one thought came to her mind.

“Putin and Xi Jinping are similar,” she told me. “Because both of them believe they represent the old imperial power in their countries. And they are the chosen leaders who can defend their countries from foreign powers. They think they are the chosen ones. And they want to stay in power forever. But this is scary. And this is nonsense.”

Nonsense or not, Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has now entered its third year, costing tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars – and counting.

Putin justified his military aggression toward Ukraine, in part by invoking historical grievances and nationalism. His rationale echoes the narrative of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who consistently frames Beijing’s claim over Taiwan through a lens of historical entitlement and national rejuvenation.

“Anyone who cares about democracy, anyone who cares about human rights, they have to pay attention,” Kolas warned – referring to the parallels between Putin’s justifications for his invasion of Ukraine and Xi’s rhetoric around Taiwan – and the threat both autocratic leaders’ ambitions pose to those democracies.

Earlier this month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave a similar warning, pointing to Putin’s 2022 visit to Beijing, days before he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“(Putin) signed an agreement with President Xi where they promised each other a partnership without any limits,” Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference.

“And what we see is that China and Russia are (becoming) closer and closer. So