In a recent interview with Moscow’s state-run Russia-1, a clip of which circulated widely on social media Saturday, the newly appointed Colonel-General Andrey Mordvichev said that the war “will not stop here [in Ukraine].”
“If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to, of course then [the war] will be longer,” he added.
Russia and China are already at loggerheads.
Russia has rebuked Chinas attempts to negotiate peace, which China desperately wants to do (negotiate, not necessarily the peace) to show the world there’s an alternative to the US ideology.
China praised Ukraine for what they brought to the table, Russia didn’t even show up. China has asked to be at any and all future proceedings while Moscow is noncommittal to anything.
To say it another way: Beijing vouched for their homeboy but then come the interview they never showed and it made Beijing look bad in front of his peers, all at the time when Beijing is being consider for a promotion.
China are also extremely interested in maintaining the taboo against the use of tactical nukes. China shares a border with 4 nuclear powers.
They are extremely afraid that Russia using one will break the taboo and it’s not guaranteed they would sit out of making an example of Russia should they do so.