China's economic partnership with Russia is so lopsided that Putin needs the help of the US — but he'd never admit that, think tank says

• Russia's "no limits" partnership with China is hurting its own economy, one think tank says.
• It says that's because China has been altering its trade connections against Russia's interests.
• The think tank says the relationship is so imbalanced that Russia may need the US's help — though Putin would never admit it.

Moscow's friendship with Beijing is at the expense of its own economy – so much so that Russia needs the US to counterbalance its relations with China, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).