US-China Alliance and the Ambition to Counter Russian Power.

China has leverage over Russia due to its increasing economic dependence on China, which means that China could persuade Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine if it wanted to. However, China's overriding interest is to have Russia as a partner to enforce a world order without Western dominance, which means that Russia must not lose the war. While China is trying to act as a peace broker in the Ukraine war, it has little incentive to reduce its proximity to Russia due to the current tense atmosphere between the US and China. The pressure to seek peace is more likely to come from Ukraine's Western backers, and Germany and Europe will have to position themselves more strongly and seek solidarity with the Americans on more issues than before.