“In the modern world, it is impossible to isolate a country, especially a country as big as Russia,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday, according to state media.

In Beijing, Zhao Lijian, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that the United States was “forcing countries to take sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and threatening without reason to impose unilateral sanctions and long-armed jurisdiction”. He added, “Isn’t that coercive diplomacy?

Russia’s currency, the ruble, fell shortly after Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February. But it has since recovered as Russia continues to earn hard currency by exporting energy and other goods to many countries, including China, India, Brazil, Venezuela and Thailand.

For some countries, the decision to ally or not with the United States can have life or death consequences. Washington has warned drought-hit African countries not to buy grain Russia stole from Ukraine at a time when food prices are rising and millions are starving.

“Therefore, major strategic intermediate powers such as India, Brazil and South Africa follow a very clear line in trying to maintain their strategic autonomy and cannot be expected to side with the United States,” said Michael John Williams, professor of international science. relations at Syracuse University and former adviser to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

“Washington thinks this war will be won in the West,” Williams said, “but the Kremlin thinks this war will be won in the East and in the South globally.”