MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin is heading into showdown talks with Australia’s leader as part of what is expected to be his toughest foreign trip since the start of the standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine. But Putin appears well prepared to take the heat in Beijing later and Brisbane this weekend, enjoying the Forbes title of the “most powerful man in the world” and domestic approval ratings exceeding 80 percent. Much to the chagrin of Washington and Brussels, Moscow is also cultivating support in major developing economies such as China-which pledged ever-closer cooperation with Russia this week.”There …read more
Source: Kuwait Times