Grasping at straws in the wind: one could take Putin’s comment about appreciating the Chinese position on the “Ukraine crisis” as a hint that Moscow could cite its China equities as future justification for a ceasefire/pullback/withdrawal/negotiated settlement in Ukraine. Should Putin seek a way out of the nasty situation he has created. From the Beijing Winter Olympics prequel statement of Sino-Russian solidarity, I have suspected this was an option Putin had in mind has he sought “unlimited” cooperation with Xi prior to sticking the knife into Ukraine. Putin’s recent statement is not likely evidence of any significant change in China’s “long-standing position” regarding Ukraine (it is all the US/NATO’s fault).