Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes to convince Chinese leader Xi to approve the opening of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. The Kremlin hopes that this will double the amount of gas delivered to China.
The meeting of the two officials took place on August 31, at the meeting of the Shanghai Partnership Organization, held in Bishkek, writes The Moscow Times. The Power of Siberia project has been discussed for over 10 years, and construction was supposed to start two years ago.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, Putin visited China in February 2022, October 2023, May 2024, September 2025, and May 2026. Following his penultimate visit, the leader announced that the launch of a gas pipeline with a projected capacity of 50 billion cubic meters per year had been approved, and a “legally binding memorandum” was signed.
Then, the Russian official stated that gas deliveries to China will soon increase to 100 billion cubic meters per year. However, the Chinese side has never publicly confirmed the statements of the Russian president.
Russia wants to commission the pipeline, while China demands large reductions in deliveries, according to Western media, which is why the negotiations are at a standstill.