Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing Tuesday seeking a “no-limits” endorsement of his energy ambitions — but left with little more than handshakes and a sharp reminder that even the closest partnerships have strict boundaries. While Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping put on a high-profile show of unity for the international community, the long-anticipated Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline remained bogged down. The project, a $15 billion lifeline to replace Russia’s failed European revenue, saw no signatures or start date. Instead, the Kremlin was forced to scramble in defense of a trip that appears to be an underwhelming fizzle.

The 1,600-mile pipeline would carry over 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, direct from Russian fields to Chinese stovetops. Battered by sanctions following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Russian economy simply needs this deal to go through. Yet China continues to play hardball, demanding “domestic discount prices” of Moscow that have been resisted for half a decade. China has implemented rigid limits on how much energy can be purchased from any single nation, and Russia has reached that threshold, reports suggest.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attempted to soothe questions over the lack of progress, claiming the leaders reached “basic parameters of understanding” pertaining to the pipeline. However, the final 10,000-word joint statement failed to mention PoS-2 by name, instead emphasizing vague promises to “deepen comprehensive relations.”

While Putin fell short of securing his gas deal, President Donald Trump announced that China is now looking toward the West to fill its tanks.

“They’ve agreed they want to buy oil from the United States; they’re going to go to Texas, we’re going to start sending Chinese ships to Texas and to Louisiana and to Alaska,” Trump stated last Thursday. After his own meeting with Xi, Trump remarked on America’s “unlimited energy,” noting that at this date the U.S. out-produces both Saudia Arabia and Russia.

This rhetoric is already becoming reality. Tankers filled with American liquified natural gas are underway from Louisiana toward China and are expected to arrive by mid-June. These represent the first direct shipments of fuel to China in Trump’s second term, indicating a potential shift in global resource patterns that would likely leave Russia out in the cold.

New revelations, in addition to the energy issue, are now casting doubt upon China’s claims of neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Reports surfaced Tuesday that approximately 200 Russian troops attended “secret training exercises” in China in late 2025. This training reportedly consisted of drone warfare, specifically laser targeting artillery and the use of electronic weapons to disable enemy drones.

“By training Russian military personnel at [an] operational and tactical level … China is far more directly involved in the war,” several intelligence agencies told Reuters. While Beijing firmly dismisses these claims, photos have been leaked of uniformed Russian soldiers in Chinese military classrooms.

As the “Axis of Tyranny” maintains its rapport, it becomes increasingly clear that Putin may be becoming the overly needy member of the relationship. As China explores various energy options due to regional instability, Xi can now drive a harder bargain than ever before. Although Xi described the relationship as being at a “historic high,” the apparent lack of a gas line deal suggests that, for Beijing at least, friendship only goes as far as the bottom line. If the Russians fail to fulfill the pricing and contract concession Xi has fixed, the pipeline project will fall apart.

“China and Russia are cooperating more closely militarily, economically, and diplomatically, but their interests are not identical,” says Lt. Col (Ret.) Robert Maginnis, senior fellow for National Security at Family Research Council. “China’s leaders are thinking decades ahead. Putin is focused on surviving the current war and preserving his hold on power.”

Maginnis continued, “Russia urgently needs China to offset the collapse of its European energy markets, while Beijing is content to wait, negotiate from a position of strength, and deepen Moscow’s dependence on China’s economy. Xi understands that time is working in Beijing’s favor.” Frankly, he said, “The China-Russia relationship is best understood as a strategic alignment built on shared interests rather than genuine trust.”

Trump’s visit, he notes, “appears to have widened China’s diplomatic room to maneuver, while Putin left Beijing looking more dependent on Xi than ever before.” The bottom line, Maginnis concluded, “is straightforward: China and Russia remain aligned against the United States and the Western-led order, but this is no partnership of equals.” As Maginnis contends, “Russia is increasingly the junior partner.”

Zach Patton is an intern at Family Research Council.