Burdened by western sanctions, Russia is desperately looking for new friends. The gas deal with China, concluded last May, fits neatly within Putin’s goal to lessen his dependence on the West. The same goes for the cancellation of the South Stream pipeline on 1 December 2014, and the subsequent announcement of an alternative pipeline to Turkey.
At least, this is what Putin would like it to look like to the rest of the World: a strong and resilient Russia which does not need the West. In reality however, this is not what is going on. Rather, it is the Chinese and the Turks which stand to profit the most from Putin’s ‘pivot to Asia’.
Anadolu News Agency from Turkey interviewed Sijbren de Jong and several other experts on the impact that the recent cancellation of South Stream has on Russian-Turkish relations. The full interview can be read here.
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