Putin enjoys Xi's welcome in Beijing but leaves without pipeline deal

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping walked the red carpet toward the Great Hall of the People as a Chinese military band played the Russian classic Moscow Nights.

"My dear friend," Putin said to Xi.

"My old friend," Xi replied.

The two leaders have met more than 40 times and often describe their ties as a partnership built on mutual respect, friendship and trust. In public statements they condemned what they called the irresponsible nuclear policy of the United States and Donald Trump's plan for a Golden Dome missile defence shield.

On the eve of the visit, a Russian government newspaper ran two front-page photos: one of Trump boarding Air Force One after his recent China trip and another of Putin and Xi walking together. The message was clear: Russia and China stand together on the world stage.

Yet the summit also showed the limits of that partnership. Russia had hoped for progress on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which would carry additional gas from Western Siberia to northern China through Mongolia. The project is meant to offset the loss of European markets.

Last year the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on the pipeline, but Beijing has shown no rush to complete a deal. Pricing remains an issue, and some analysts say China wants to avoid heavy reliance on Russian energy supplies.

On Wednesday the Kremlin said the two sides had reached a general understanding on the project's parameters. There is still no final agreement.

Russian officials expressed disappointment but not surprise. The same government newspaper that ran the Putin-Xi photos noted that the positions of Russia and China are not identical and that their interests do not always coincide.

It was not long ago that similar language of closeness was used about Putin and Trump. After their meeting in Alaska last summer, Russian officials spoke of the spirit of Anchorage and suggested the two countries had found common ground on ending the war in Ukraine.