Putin and Xi meet in Kyrgyzstan as Russia again pushes major gas pipeline

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping convened in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31 to discuss visa-free travel for Russians and their ongoing bilateral relations. The encounter occurred on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which commenced on August 30 and concluded on September 1.

Both leaders were present at the summit. According to the Moscow Times, this is Putin's sixth endeavor since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to secure an agreement with Xi regarding the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. Putin had previously visited China in February 2022, October 2023, May 2024, September 2025, and May 2026.

A spokesperson for Putin's administration, Yuri Ushakov, confirmed that the pipeline issue would once again be a focal point of their bilateral discussions. On the same day, Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that China served as a significant deterrent against any escalation of the war against Ukraine by Russia, adding that Beijing would prevent Moscow from resorting to nuclear weapons.

In July, according to anonymous sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, despite the Kremlin's optimistic assertions, Moscow and Beijing had not reached a consensus on a crucial matter — the pricing of gas. The sources alleged that China was seeking a price akin to Russia's domestic level, approximately $50 per 1,000 cubic meters.

This is roughly one-fifth of the present price for gas transported via the Power of Siberia pipeline, which commenced operations in 2019. This year, China is paying around $258.80 per 1,000 cubic meters through that route — approximately 39% lower than Gazprom's other foreign consumers. During Putin's latest visit to Beijing, Chinese officials cautioned the Russian delegation against addressing the Power of Siberia 2 topic until Moscow was willing to adjust its pricing conditions, as reported by WSJ sources.

Their last meeting took place in Beijing in May 2026, during which Putin described the relationship between Russia and China as "an unprecedentedly high level" and labeled it as an example of a "comprehensive partnership." At that meeting, Xi proposed that Russia and China collaborate to establish a "fairer and more equitable system of global governance."