Anonymousabout 12 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing on May 20, 2026 seeking a final agreement on the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, but returned home without a deal as China continued to exploit Russia's post-sanctions isolation to extract maximum concessions on price, financing, and contract terms. The stalled negotiations — now stretching past four years — expose the structural asymmetry at the heart of the so-called "no limits" partnership, with Russia facing a shrinking federal budget, collapsing oil and gas revenues, and no viable alternative buyers to replace the European markets it lost after invading Ukraine.