Association invites comparison, and Xi knows that the more he keeps being compared with Putin the likelier his countrymen are to get ideas if Putin were overthrown.

I wouldn't be surprised if Xi decides to call off the meeting and start distancing himself from Putin as we near the 1 year anniversary of the war.

Wine got a pass because Spain, the biggest purchaser of our fish at the time, threatened to stop trading with us if we banned wine since most of it was imported from there.