Who gives a crap if Xi or Putin is angry? Do you think they're going to launch a nuclear war?
You kept talking about their bottom line. What about our bottom line?
I know history and that's why I'm telling you: caring about a dictator's bottom line never works. It's a sign of weakness. Appeasement only invites more aggression.
More wars took place under Democratic Presidents than Republican Presidents. Why? Because Republicans tend to walk the walk when it comes to war.
Russia is a gas station with nuclear weapons. China is the most globalized economy in the world. They have much more to lose if they launch a nuclear war. Russia as a nation-state will cease to exist. Moscow will be wiped off the face of the Earth. So will Saint Petersburg. China will be cut off from global trade. They won't be able to grow crops because they import most of their fertilizers. There will be famine, widespread civil unrest, and perhaps even the overthrowing of the CCP. Meanwhile, North America is the most self-sufficient continent on Earth. We can grow our own food, we have our own oil, we can rebuild our manufacturing sectors quickly, we have two oceans to protect us from invaders, and we have the brightest minds in all of the advanced economies. So who should care about whose bottom line?
Please, sit down. You don't know enough to have a firm stance on this topic.