Russia's exit from Syria will disrupt supplies to its forces in Africa. But as Moscow's fortunes in the resource-rich Continent wane, Beijing's are rising

Russian exports of coal and steel to China dropped in 2024 amid shifting global trade dynamics and Moscow’s increasing isolation from Western markets. China has become a key economic partner for Russia since the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine set off a barrage of Western sanctions.

The two leaders have developed strong personal ties that helped boost relations between Moscow and Beijing, growing even closer after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.

The U.S. “will have to out-think” Russia and China to prevent them from using nuclear weapons to resolve a future crisis, the outgoing head of the National Nuclear Security Administration said last week.

China's largest airline, China Southern Airlines, has suspended flights from Beijing to Moscow at the end of January, a surprise move that comes just ahead of the Chinese New Year. Newsweek reached out to China Southern Airlines and the Russian Foreign Ministry with an emailed request for comment outside of office hours.

In December, Russia reportedly sold its stakes in certain Kazakh uranium deposits to Chinese-owned companies. This involved Kazakhstan's nuclear resources company, Kazatomprom, and Russia's Rosatom transferring interests to Chinese entities, National Security News reported.

"This time it's different" is a well-worn cliché that seems to be getting another whirl with the latest U.S. sanctions against Russia's crude oil exports.

All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Feb.

A joint force of 5,000 troops from military-led neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali will soon deploy in their troubled central Sahel region, Niger's defence chief said on state television.

The grouping of four U.S. foes, which Biden's ambassador to China recently called an "unholy alliance," adds up to a loss of leverage for the U.S. and its partners, say analysts.

Donald Trump has offered a rare criticism of Russian president Vladimir Putin as he expressed hopes for a deal to end the war in Ukraine.Speaking to reporters in the White House, the US president said: “I think Russia is going to be in big trouble.