Honestly, Putin keeps pushing this military team-up idea partly because Russia's feeling kind of boxed in by all the sanctions and pressure from the West. Like, if everyone in Europe and the US is cutting you off, you're gonna want to find other people to work with. In my experience just following news and politics, anytime someone feels like they're being left out or treated as the bad guy, they usually turn to their own group or look for new friends.

With the Ukraine war dragging on, Russia's defense industry has been totally focused on churning out new stuff and proving they can hang without Western parts. But that only gets you so far, right? So, it makes sense that Putin would want to make weapons with countries that are still cool with him. Joint projects mean he isn't just stuck using Russian tech – he gets new ideas and resources too. Plus, if they start building things together, it's way harder to slap sanctions on everyone involved. Honestly, I think a lot of this is just Putin trying to show he's not isolated, and that Russia still has clout, especially if people in places like Iran or North Korea want to team up. It's kind of like being picked last in gym class but still trying to start your own team anyway. That's my take!