Atlantic Council: Putin Has Led Russia Into A Dead End
- 24.09.2026, 22:54
China is taking full advantage of this.
Although China and Russia often portray their partnership as aimed at countering the United States and its allies, their relationship appears to have some significant limitations. This is most evident in the energy sector.
As The Atlantic Council, as Europe gradually halts imports of Russian gas in response to the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is counting on Beijing to offset this pressure. But China refuses to bail out the Kremlin on any terms other than its own.
The publication cites the example of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who arrived at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek on August 31, hoping to discuss with his Chinese counterpart the “Power of Siberia-2,” which is designed to transport up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Russia’s Arctic region to China.
The point is that, if completed, it would double the existing capacity of the pipelines connecting the two countries and help Moscow mitigate the economic blow from losing access to more lucrative European markets.
However, despite Putin’s efforts to secure Xi Jinping’s approval for the new project at the SCO summit, the Russian leader once again came away empty-handed.
“The pipeline remains at an impasse, and Beijing is demanding low gas prices comparable to Russia’s heavily subsidized domestic rate. If Moscow agrees, it will struggle to break even. Putin’s apparent inability to secure Xi Jinping’s support for the strategically important gas pipeline reinforces the international perception that the invasion of Ukraine has reduced Russia to the status of China’s junior partner,” the journalists note.
It is noted that Beijing is in no hurry and is content to adopt a wait-and-see stance, as Russia’s economic and geopolitical influence continues to decline. Moreover, China has several options for gas supplies, including Australia, Qatar, Malaysia, Turkmenistan, and other countries. Beijing even resumed purchasing LNG from the United States following the meeting between Trump and Xi in May 2026, which further undermined any need to accommodate Moscow.
At the same time, Russia has no compelling alternatives. A number of countries, including India, have sharply increased their consumption of Russian fossil fuel exports since 2022, but China remains the only buyer large enough to compensate for Russia’s loss of European gas markets.
“Even at full capacity of 50 billion cubic meters, the proposed pipeline will replace only about one-third of the gas that Russia previously sold to Europe. Meanwhile, it appears the European market is closing for good, as the EU has committed to phasing out imports of all categories of Russian gas over the next few years. In other words, Russia needs the pipeline agreement far more than China does, and Beijing knows this,” the article states.