Russian and Chinese firms in active talks on Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, TASS reports
MOSCOW, May 8 (Reuters) - Russia and China are at an "active stage" of talks on a proposed new gas pipeline, the Power of Siberia-2, carrying Russian gas via Mongolia to China, but are unlikely to sign a contract in the next couple of days, Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said, according to Russia state news agency TASS.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Moscow this week for celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
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"The companies are working on the contract. They are in the active stage of negotiations, so I think it is unlikely - there are one or two days left - that they will manage to do this before May 9," he said, referring to Thursday's war anniversary.
Russia has been seeking agreement with Beijing for years on building the Power of Siberia-2 to carry 50 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year from the Yamal region in northern Russia to China via Mongolia.
So far, however, the parties have not been able to agree on the terms of gas deliveries. China's ambassador to Russia said last month that the route for the pipeline had yet to be defined.
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The Sun
5 hours ago
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Elon Musk has PTSD & made a MISTAKE by helping Trump, his dad claims as he reveals verdict on what caused explosive feud
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Reuters
6 hours ago
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Russia advances to east-central Ukrainian region amid row over dead soldiers
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Daily Mail
6 hours ago
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Elon Musk has 'PTSD from the White House' and believes he's 'made a mistake' by helping Donald Trump get reelected, his father Errol claims
Elon Musk has 'PTSD from the White House ' and believes he 'made a mistake' by helping Donald Trump get reelected, his father has claimed amid an explosive feud between two of the world's most powerful billionaires. Errol Musk, 79, was speaking in Moscow where he is due to speak at a forum organised by Vladimir Putin 's closest aides just days after a bromance between his son and the US President spectacularly combusted. The world's richest man, who donated millions to Trump's election campaign and became a White House aide has gone to war with the US President over his sweeping tax and spending bill. The tech billionaire also claimed Trump appeared in files relating to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in a post on his social media platform X as the pair traded blows in a sensational public row. Musk gave no evidence for the claim, which has since been deleted, and the White House dismissed the allegation. 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Musk took credit for Trump's 2024 election victory in X posts on Thursday 'Recently a new bill was put out - and Elon is still in the 'Let's get everything right' mode. 'He said, 'No, we must not include in such a bill more of this Democrat stupid schemes and money for them, it's not right'. 'But unfortunately, he doesn't realise that in order to get their votes in the Senate and the Congress, Trump has to do that.… 'In order to take something, you have to give. 'So they had an argument about that, and as they are all suffering from a bit of PTSD, a post-traumatic stress disorder over the last few months, they started hitting out at each other. 'They are the only two people left in the arena, Trump and Elon, and all they were used to was fighting with the opposition. 'So they took to each other, which is understandable. 'It happens in marriages, it happens in partnerships, it happens a lot. 'And people have to understand that at the moment, Elon is having second thoughts that… 'He's not a great politician, he is still learning, he's a great tech innovator and so forth. Elon Musk, without evidence, dramatically claimed President Donald Trump's name appears in the Epstein files 'But his politics is, as I've said before, is a swimming pool with no bottom, it's a swimming pool with no sides. 'When you're in a swimming pool of politics, you've got to really know where to go. And he [Elon Musk] doesn't realise that. Elon's idea is: 'It should all make sense'. 'And it's very hard to make sense of politics. Nobody's ever managed to do that. 'So at the moment, Elon is inclined to say that he's made a mistake.' Musk Snr will speak at the Future Forum 2050, organised by Malofeev and Putin ideologist and 'philosopher' Alexander Dugin. A key speaker is Kremlin veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, a war hardliner. Earlier Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev - formerly Russian president and prime minister - offered: 'We are ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment. Don't fight, guys!' Former deputy premier Dmirty Rogozin - ex-head of the Russian space agency, now a senator - offered asylum to Elon Musk. 'Elon @elonmusk, don't be upset! You are respected in Russia. If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us and become one of us….' Russia would offer him 'reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity'. Senior lawmaker Dmitry Novikov also told state media Russia could offer asylum to Musk 'if he needs it'. Errol praised Putin's capital city - on his first visit to Moscow - saying: 'Whoever designed this city is a true genius. These majestic buildings remind me of Ancient Rome.' A lot of 'nonsense' was spoken about Moscow, he said. He saw people out walking, families with young children who looked content and happy, and clearly felt safe. 'They are clearly happy. I will remember this for the rest of my life,' he said. It comes as new details surrounding a White House brawl between Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emerged last night. The Mail was the first to report on the heated confrontation between Bessent and Musk. Former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon revealed that there was more to the mid-April tussle, insisting that both men ended up landing blows. They lost their patience with one another following a tense meeting in the Oval Office in which Trump snubbed Musk and instead took Bessent's advice on whom to name as acting IRS Commissioner, Bannon said. When Bessent and Musk exited the Oval Office, they began hurling insults at one another in the hallway. But it was Bessent who struck Musk where it hurts. According to Bannon, Bessent dared to say that the billionaire's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was a failure, since Musk didn't root out the $1 trillion in wasteful and fraudulent federal spending he promised he would. 'Scott said, "You're a fraud. You're a total fraud,"' Bannon said. That's when Musk body-checked Bessent, who hit the world's richest man right back, according to Bannon. Multiple people stepped in to break up the fight as the two men were getting close to the office of then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Musk was then escorted out of the West Wing. Bannon previously told the Daily Mail that Trump sided with Bessent '100 percent.' Still, Trump wasn't particularly happy that the fight took place, according to Bannon. 'President Trump heard about it and said, "This is too much,'' Bannon said. Details about the Bessent-Musk clash only build upon speculation that Trump has long been drifting away from his former 'first buddy,' who donated $288 million to his 2024 campaign. Trump is not backing off his battle with Musk, saying on Saturday that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warning that the billionaire could face 'serious consequences' if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections. Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker in a phone interview that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with the mega-billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is over, Trump responded, 'I would assume so, yeah.' 'I'm too busy doing other things,' Trump continued. 'You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him.' The president also issued a warning amid chatter that Musk could back Democratic lawmakers and candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
