Russia's oil situation is suffering. Ukraine has hit some very important oil infrastructure that impairs Russia's cash cow and their ability to continue their war efforts. Russia doesn't have anything else and oil revenues are down even with the prices going up. Like China, the Russian economy is also suffering. They have almost blown through their sovereign wealth fund trying to fill the fiscal holes. They are hemorrhaging money.

You are right that Russia is now in a better negotiating position with China. That wasn't the case just a year ago. Russia was quickly turning into Xi's vassal. Now China needs Russia. How quickly fortunes can change.

Trump is killing a lot of birds with this one stone.