Russian Aggression Against Ukraine in the Context of the Sino-American Geopolitical Confrontation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/mediaforum.2025.17.68-88Keywords:
Russian Aggression, Sino-American Confrontation, Geopolitics, Balance of Power, Bipolar System, Offensive Realism, Russia-China Cooperation, Ramstein Format, International Sanctions, Asia-Pacific RegionAbstract
The study examines the transformation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine from a regional conflict into a globalized geopolitical confrontation, pitting an authoritarian coalition (RF, China, Iran) against Western democracies (NATO, US). The research goal is a comprehensive analysis of the US-China relationship dynamics and its influence on the war’s trajectory, particularly regarding the formation of a bipolar system. The paper highlights that the RF-PRC rapprochement, solidified by 2013, functioned as a balancing alliance against the US, marked by China’s «One Belt, One Road» (OBOR) expansion and Russia’s «Turn to the East» following 2014 sanctions. US policy shifted under the Trump administration, formally designating both nations as «revisionist states» and escalating tensions via a trade war, consistent with offensive realism principles aimed at containing China’s rise. The 2022 full-scale invasion accelerated the geopolitical realignment. The global response, led by the US, established the Ramstein format, which rapidly expanded to include Asia-Pacific Region partners (Australia, Japan, S. Korea), underscoring the conflict’s global nature. Simultaneously, China reinforced its counter-Western influence through BRICS+ expansion and heightened tensions over Taiwan. The research concludes that the war in Ukraine acts as a catalyst, rapidly defining the new structure of international security – a rigid bipolar system where the US-China rivalry determines the global order. The study provides a critical framework for understanding how the local aggression is inextricably linked to the broader, systemic struggle for world dominance.
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