Russia isn’t going to let the boa constrictor tighten.
They’re going to move when at an advantage, not wait until they’re at a disadvantage.
They’re facing demographic decline, much of their geopolitical power is based on hydrocarbon production, and nuclear fusion just went from a scientific problem to an engineering problem.
Time is running out for them.
China is also falling off a demographic cliff, facing a decline in power, and will need to act soon.
Meanwhile, the only real threat to their ambitions has a weak head of state and a divided populace.
In other recent news…
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-693866
Cut off Europe from alternatives while threatening a dying nuclear power with strategic encirclement.
Not a roadmap to peace.