RUSI JournalVOLUME 171ISSUE 4

Authoritarian Cooperation Versus Western Solidarity: The Ukraine Case

Alex Kaplan and Roderick Parkes
8 July 2026clockLong Read
Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un at the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s Second World War surrender, in Beijing, China, 3 September 2025. Courtesy of Associated Press/Alamy.

Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un at the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s Second World War surrender, in Beijing, China, 3 September 2025. Courtesy of Associated Press/Alamy.

The authors of this Research Article question the efficacy of a loose alignment between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, reflecting on their cooperation during the war against Ukraine.

The alignment of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea is often seen in overly narrow terms, and dismissed as transactional and fragile. Examining the mechanics of Western support for Ukraine, Alex Kaplan and Roderick Parkes draw parallels with the growing cooperation among authoritarian governments, and argue that to disrupt it, the West must first reflect on the logic of its own solidarity.

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WRITTEN BY

Alex Kaplan

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Roderick Parkes

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