Territorial greed of Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin could make 2026 toxic

By N.S. Venkataraman*

The year 2025 closed with bloody conflicts across nations and groups, while the United Nations continued to appear ineffective—reduced to a debate forum with little impact on global peace and harmony.

As the world steps into 2026, people everywhere hope for respite and renewal. Yet such optimism seems misplaced. Donald Trump of the United States, Xi Jinping of China, and Vladimir Putin of Russia appear determined to pursue territorial expansion with little regard for international order or responsibility. Their ambitions threaten to make 2026 another year of turmoil.

Millions across the globe—including citizens of China, Russia, and the United States—are disillusioned. Territorial greed and the wars it provokes ultimately devastate ordinary families, not the leaders who instigate them. The policies of these three men stand in stark defiance of the principles of peace championed by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and other global icons.

Xi Jinping’s Expansionism

China’s territorial ambitions are neither new nor restrained. In 1950, Beijing invaded Tibet, massacring thousands who resisted. Since then, Tibet has remained under a suffocating grip, denied freedom and free speech.

In 1962, China launched war against India, seizing thousands of kilometers of territory in Ladakh. Today, it continues to claim Arunachal Pradesh as its own. Beyond India, China disputes ownership of the Senkaku Islands, asserts control over the South China Sea, and now threatens to invade Taiwan.

China’s appetite for land appears limitless.

Putin’s War

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine under the pretext of NATO expansion. The war drags on with no end in sight, and Moscow openly declares it will not vacate occupied territories.

This conflict is a stark exhibition of Putin’s territorial greed, pursued at the cost of countless lives and global stability.

Trump’s Claims

Donald Trump’s rhetoric and actions have shocked the world. He once declared that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States. More recently, he invaded Venezuela, citing drug trafficking as justification, and proclaimed himself “acting president” of the country.

Trump has also laid claim to Greenland, arguing that U.S. security requires its annexation to prevent Russian or Chinese influence. These moves reveal not strategy but insatiable greed. What his next target might be remains uncertain, but the pattern is unmistakable.

What Lies Ahead in 2026

Wars and conflicts have long scarred human history, often rooted in local disputes. What distinguishes today’s crises is the scale of territorial greed driving them.

With Trump, Xi, and Putin entrenched in power, their ambitions will continue to sow seeds of war. To expect 2026 to be more peaceful than 2025 would be naïve.

Voices of peace resound across the world, but they remain cries in the wilderness. The territorial greed of these leaders is so entrenched that they are unlikely to heed the wisdom of Gandhi, King, or Mandela.

Many observers now conclude that the absence of war is a utopian dream. As long as leaders wield economic and military strength to pursue expansion, conflicts will persist. Trump, Xi, and Putin exemplify this grim reality.

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Trustee, Nandini Voice for the Deprived, Chennai

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