Latest news with #globalstage
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Putin has already emerged as the winner of his Alaska summit with Trump
Regardless of the outcome of the Alaska summit, there is likely to be one winner – at least in the short term. And that is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Here is why: A direct summit between the US and Russia flatters Moscow greatly. For ex-KGB spy man Putin, it brings back the glory days of the Cold War, when the Soviets were the economic and military equal of America. Nowadays, Russia has an economy smaller than that of Italy and, apart from its raw materials and nuclear weapons, it's a declining, middling country. By meeting Trump as an equal, Putin can present himself as once again bestriding the global stage in a world where Russia, the US (and China) make the rules. It's a useful image for projecting influence, even if it flatters to deceive. The images that will come from Alaska will probably also help to reinforce the Russian regime's central propaganda lie: that Ukraine is neo-Nazi puppet of the corrupt West, and that Moscow is fighting a defensive war against Nato in Ukraine to stop an invasion of Russia. However deluded that sounds to us, the image of Putin and Trump negotiating over Ukraine reinforces it. Kyiv's absence from the talks allows it to be painted as little more than a pawn. It's also important for Putin to avoid direct negotiations with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, given the Russian's refusal to recognise Ukraine as an independent nation. That Ukrainians overwhelmingly want their own state and reject Russian rule is not something that Putin cares to contemplate. For him, Ukrainian identity is a fake construct, a form of false consciousness created by the enemies of Russia to divide the unity of the eastern Slavs. That is why Putin's regime steals and indoctrinates children from the occupied Ukrainian territories – to 'reprogramme' them. The optics of this meeting will cause nervousness in Western capitals, too. Putin still clearly believes that he can separate a Trump-led US from the UK and Europe. One long-term aim of the Kremlin, through this and previous regimes, has been to break the transatlantic link. The more that Putin can improve ties with Trump – or indeed with some European leaders – the more questions there will be over the unity of Nato, the bedrock of global security since the Second World War. Any fracturing of that alliance will be especially bad for nations such as the UK, which will bear the brunt of future Russian hostility. The Alaska optics should especially worry Ukraine. It hurts their cause to see others decide their fate. Putin may use Trump's understandable desire for peace to encourage the US president to press Ukraine into a humiliating surrender, giving up as yet unconquered land, which will in turn undermine Ukrainian cohesion. Russia would then try to use non-military tools of conflict to destabilise Ukraine, until such a time as it can attack the country again. Putin has three aims in his remaining years: to re-create Russia as a virulently anti-Western nation, to destroy Ukraine, and to break the credibility of Nato. He has achieved the first, he is working on the second, and will try to achieve the third at some point. In this context, Putin does have some work to do at this summit. He probably realises that he has overplayed his hand with Trump in recent months, manipulating and mocking in equal measures. He may conclude that continuing talks will help undermine Western cohesion and Ukrainian morale, while his soldiers make modest gains on the battlefield. To that end, he may hint at a deal or at least agree to discuss parameters for future negotiations to give the US president a tangible outcome. But we should remember that, in the Kremlin's school of negotiation tactics, ceasefires and talks are used as much to weaken the will of one's adversaries as to achieve a lasting peace, and that in Russian military doctrine, non-military tools of conflict are as important as military tools. If Putin can use diplomatic and psychological tactics to achieve the victories that his soldiers have failed to win, he will do so. If he can pocket the same diplomatic victories as Stalin managed over the naïve West in Yalta at the end of the Second World War, he will take them. So, while this summit may be part of Trump's peace plan – and we should recognise that he is at least trying to bring this war to an end – it is also probably part of Putin's war plan. Putin wants to destroy an independent Ukraine. He continues to show determination and patience in achieving that goal, even if his tactics change.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The 12-year-old already political power dressing! North Korea's Kim Jong-un's daughter sports tailored suits, heels and pencil skirts in 'crucial clue' she will succeed her father, says expert
Speculation that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un 's young daughter is being primed to succeed her father - currently only 41 - has intensified in recent days after experts noted Kim Ju-ae is being brought out onto the global stage much more frequently. Since the world first laid eyes on Kim nearly three years ago, the 12-year-old has been photographed alongside her father at 39 high-profile events - from military parades and missile launches to national cultural programmes. Recent analysis by The New York Times revealed Ju Ae has seemingly outpaced her her mother Ri Sol-ju, and even aunt Kim Yo Jong - the Supreme Leader's eldest sister who it was thought would replace Kim for a time - as the family's most prominent female figure. One of the big signifiers that young Ju Ae - who has no official title in North Korea - is being prepared for a possible future the country's Supreme Leader has been the way that state media refers to her, the newspaper highlighted, including hailing her as the 'most beloved', 'respected', and 'dear' daughter of Kim. In what was believed to be the clearest hint that Ju could be next in line to rule the Hermit Kingdom, North Korea's state media referred to the girl as a 'great person of guidance' - a term reserved for top leaders and their successors - last March. Another subtle clue about Ju Ae's gradual rise within the Nuclear-armed country- after being hidden away through her childhood - may lie within her wardrobe, as experts noted Ju Ae's clothes might be a 'visual rehearsal for the role she is expected to inherit'. Since her first public appearance at a missile launch in November 2022, Ju Ae's style has undergone a striking shift, with luxury fashion stylist and psychologist, Angela Kyte telling The Daily Mail that the younger Kim is already embracing 'power dressing'. 'What we're witnessing with Kim Ju-ae's recent appearances is the careful crafting of a visual identity and, in political contexts, that's never accidental,' Angela explained. 'The transition from a more youthful, relaxed style to tailored silhouettes, structured coats, and subdued yet regal colour palettes is classic "power dressing" 101.' The first time the world ever saw her, Kim was thought to be around 10 and still dressing in outfits considered appropriate for a child her age. She was bundled up in a white puffer jacket as Ju-ae walked hand-in-hand with her father at a missile launch during a test-firing at Pyongyang International Airport. Ju-ae toured the facility in a pair of red ballet flats as she was photographed with Kim on November 19, 2022. Less than three years later, her wardrobe has seemingly been tweaked to look more grown-up as Ju-ae was dressed in a well-fitting blazer and skirt combination when she attended a cultural event celebrating the diplomatic relationship between North Korea and Russia. She was steady on her feet as Ju Ae moved gracefully through the crowds in black heels and tights, while opting to wear her hair in a half-up, half-down style favoured by her mother. Commenting on Ju-Ae's 'striking' transformation, Angela said: [In November 2022], she appeared younger and more naive-like, appropriate for a child accompanying her father, but not particularly symbolic. 'In contrast, her latest outfits feature long, tailored wool coats in navy or charcoal, patent leather shoes, and her hair neatly styled with elements that echo the visual language of state authority. Ju-Ae joins her father in boarding the destroyer 'Kang Kon' at the Rajin shipyard at the port near Rason - she is wearing a white blazer with cropped sleeves that is held together with a belt and a knee-length white skirt (12 June 2025) Another remarkable feature of Ju-Ae's wardrobe that has remained consistent since her first public outing, as Angela pointed out a 'deliberate symmetry' with Kim's outfits. 'It's less about following fashion trends and more about borrowing from the wardrobe of leadership,' she continued. Another remarkable feature of Ju-Ae's wardrobe that has remained consistent since her first public outing, as Angela pointed out a 'deliberate symmetry' with Kim's outfits. She noted how her coats increasingly resemble the boxy, double-breasted styles favoured by the Supreme Leader, and she is often wearing monochrome or dark tones that echo the uniformity of his own ensembles. 'This visual alignment suggests not just proximity,' the luxury stylist added, 'but continuity.' It is less about following fashion trends for the younger Kim and more about borrowing from the 'wardrobe of leadership', Angela said. 'This is a long-established strategy in statecraft: dressing the heir not to stand out, but to fit into an existing visual tradition that feels both familiar to the populace and aspirational.' The fashion expert felt that the decision to closely align Ju-ae's clothes - and image - with her father's helps to reinforce their bond and shared identity while sending a message that 'she is a figure to be taken seriously'. We may be witnessing what Angela described as a 'visual rehearsal' for the role Ju-Ae will one day inherit, adding: 'Whether intentional or not, each public appearance becomes another chapter in that narrative.' The daughter of Kim Jon Un and First Lady Ri Sol Ju, Ju Ae was hidden away from foreign media through childhood until American former basketball player Dennis Rodman revealed her existence following a visit to North Korea in 2013. But little was known about Ju Ae, believed to be the middle child of three, until she made her first public appearance at the time of a missile launch in November 2022. In 2022, it was still believed the Supreme Leader's eldest sister, Kim Yo Jong, was being lined up to replace him as the fourth-generation of leaders under the Kim Dynasty. Yo Jong is still Deputy Department Director for the country's quasi-Orwellian 'Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea', and still could take the top job. But the hawkish propaganda chief has made fewer public-facing appearances since then, reducing her notoriety. Meanwhile, the North Korean press' glowing references to Ju Ae suggest her father may instead be grooming her for succession. She has been seen at many of her father's official engagements, including military drills, missile launches, a visit to a weapons factory, and a stop at a new chicken farm. 'Usually the term ''hyangdo'' (great person of guidance) is only used to refer to the highest-ranking official,' Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry, said at a briefing Monday. 'We are not ruling out the possibility of Ju Ae's succession', he said, adding that Seoul was 'monitoring the situation and remaining open to possibilities.' However, he warned that if Ju Ae were to take her father's place as the fourth leader of the reclusive state, 'North Korean people will bear the brunt of the fallout', he said. Seoul had initially indicated that Kim and his wife Ri had their first child, a boy, in 2010, and that Ju Ae was their second child. But last year South Korea's unification minister said that the government was 'unable to confirm for sure' the existence of Kim's son.
