Talks without allegiance and without commitment for towards armourments are likely to be a huge disappointment for Putin. China remains uncommitted towards Putin’s crusade. A show of strength yes but a commitment it is not. China will benefit from trading arrangements with Russia to replace some of what it has lost through the sanctions imposed upon Putin by the West but the deals made are not mutually beneficial. Putin is running out of options so any deals are better than no deals but it is also a sign of Russia and Putin diminished world currency. China remains aloof and certainly doesn’t wish to get drawn into a possible set of sanctions itself. China has to face it is reliant on exports to the West. To face large sanctions and boycotts on Chinese made goods would put his own regime at risk. People in China are being kept sweet and dormant by financial success. To risk upsetting that would most likely be a huge destabilising factor putting his regime at risk. The People’s Republic of China could be a very real possibility if this tyrannical regime were to upset those that they rule over. That Western trade are actually shoring up this regime is a political irony in itself. Take away this scaffolding and the Chinese are likely to implode.