Half a world away, another leader was busy projecting strength. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin declared that Russia could maintain control of the Donbas while still reaching a peace agreement with Ukraine. He claimed Russian forces had recently captured approximately 2,440 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory and that over 85% of the Donetsk region was under Russian control.
But as El País reported, the forum’s guest list told its own story about Putin’s diplomatic orbit. Alongside the usual economic discussions, the event featured members of the German far right, actor-turned-Russian-citizen Steven Seagal, and what the Spanish outlet described as a “phantom” delegation associated with Trump. It was a vivid display of what the article called Putin’s “soft power” — an effort to demonstrate international legitimacy even as Russia remains a pariah in most Western capitals.
