Abstract
This essay will examine the evolution of the Kremlin’s policy toward BRI. The first section will briefly discuss the potential increase in economic and geopolitical influence that China could gain from this project. It will be followed by an update on Russia’s current challenging political and economic situation, which could lead to an erosion of its foreign influence, especially in Central Asia, and has forced the Kremlin to be more conciliatory toward the Chinese project. The third and final section will show how Russia chose to gauge and channel rather than prevent BRI, while arguing that Sino-Russian cooperation on the initiative remains fragile.
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