Putin leaves Beijing without deal he came for
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
The Kremlin leader arrived in Beijing with a specific goal — to secure Chinese President Xi Jinping's approval for the construction of a new gas pipeline. But the talks ended without an agreement — and without any concrete timeline, The Washington Post reports.
What pipeline is it, and why does Russia need it
The project in question is Power of Siberia 2 — a massive pipeline that would transport up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas to China annually. For Russia, this is critically important: after losing the European market, Moscow is searching for new export destinations.
But Beijing is in no hurry. China is satisfied with the current situation — Russia depends on it and sells gas on terms favorable to Beijing.
What the Kremlin said after the talks
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that there is no specific timeline for the launch of the project.
"In fact, the president said during the talks that there is already a general understanding of the main parameters of Power of Siberia 2. There is an understanding of the route and of how it will be built. Some details still need to be finalized, but overall, such an understanding already exists," Peskov said.
China supported Moscow's position on Ukraine
In the same joint statement, Beijing endorsed the demand to eliminate the "root causes" of the war — wording Moscow uses to describe the removal of the pro-Western government and preventing Ukraine from joining NATO.
Thus, China effectively supported the Kremlin's position regarding the goals of the war against Ukraine.
A partnership with cracks
Behind the scenes of the lavish reception, serious problems remain in relations between the two countries. Russia is unhappy that Chinese companies supply components for Ukrainian drone production — while continuing to trade with Russia itself.
In addition, according to Western officials, Russia is investigating at least one case of possible Chinese espionage. Both sides prefer not to publicize the matter.
Ahead of the visit, Bloomberg reported that Putin would once again try to "sell" Xi Jinping on the pipeline idea — already the fifth attempt in four years. The Kremlin hoped that the energy crisis linked to the situation in the Middle East would force Beijing to compromise.
After the visit, analyst Andriy Kovalenko explained China's logic: Beijing is deliberately keeping Moscow in a weak position in order to gain access to cheap Russian resources and avoid taking on unnecessary risks.
