Russia’s invasion of Ukraine united the West against a common adversary. It also built a shakier coalition in the East that’s been keeping Russia’s economy alive since the conflict began.
The past few weeks have seen the US, UK, and European Union strike at Russia’s energy industry with varying bans on Russian coal, crude oil, and natural gas. The moves, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, would force the Kremlin “to choose between propping up its economy and funding the continuation of Putin’s brutal war.”
Yet Russia hasn’t felt the pressure like the West had hoped. The blame largely lies with India and China. Neither country has explicitly sided with or against Russia, and instead have stood a murky middle ground while the majority of the world’s nations condemn President Vladimir Putin. They’ve also continued to buy Russian energy, indirectly funding the invasion of Ukraine while maintaining effectively the same trade relationships they had before the war began.
