I think: > Putin instead recognizing the breakaway regions as independent sets a bad precedent from China's point of view. and: > China presumably really wis

I think: > Putin instead recognizing the breakaway regions as independent sets a bad precedent from China's point of view. and: > China presumably really wishes Russia had set a wargoal of annexing Donbas / Crimea / all of Ukraine to be part of Russia. are just part of the same process: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_of_the_Republic_of_Crimea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_of... > Russia recognised the Republic of Crimea's declaration of independence[8][9] and agreed to incorporate the Republic into the Russian Federation following a referendum. Agnostic to the outcome of the conflict, they were / are probably just planning on the same approach.