If the Russians really feel like being white europeans is more important than a peaceful relationship with China they just deserve to lose their far east and just go be European west of the Urals. But i don't think they are that simple as a people or else im over estimating Russia's deep state.
First of all we now life in a Era with a modernised China and fast modernising Asia with visual evidence that Europe is not what it has been for centuries a center of power. Because it could plunder the world. Compare any Europe tier 1 cities with China's tier 1,2 or 3 cities. Also if one sees Russia as an economic scale with Europe on one side and Asia on the other side. The Russian economic scale has tipping toward Asia for a while now. So by the time that Putin will be out of the picture Russian businesses will already be heavily invested in Asia. I don't think Europe and the US can offer something in return that could shift the economic scale back to the west.
Also Sino-Soviet split wasn't such a nice experience for USSR that was still with an weaker and way less modernised China. A 21st century Sino-Russo split would be so expensive for Russia that they can say bye bye to fast economic growth.
The answer you are answering is based on is simply based in what Europeans and Americans want to believe .
MAGA and AfD people love to think that they would arrive to power and just with some friendly words Russia will loose their butt to run to lick their feet.
Pardon my language but it is like it is. They really think Russian loves them and will not do what is in their interest.
It is same supremacism than the neocons but in the other side.
It is based in a total lack of understanding of Russia. Starting from the point that Putin WAS a very pro European leader within the Russian political system.
To think that is Putin the one that is restricting Russia to join Europe is delusional.
The communist party is still strong in Russia and hates the West. The nationalist dislike the west. The Orthodox don’t have any interest.
Most of the Russian political system and structures of the state are anti West.
And even to start with, people don’t understand the reasons Russians has in the past to “like” the West.
It is not that they are European, it is nothing like that. It is simply that the West was richer than them, and being pragmatic they thought that being friend with the west would be better for them.
They woke up, and anyway the west is not rich anymore.
And on a more personal view. I am Spanish, my wife is Russian. She hates Europe (or basically the centro European based European Union).
Normal people in Russia is neither particularly pro Europe.
They see at the end that their friends were Iran and China and North Korea and Siria.
You would be shocked by the level of praise that Iran received nowadays.
Of course there are pro European Russians also, but there are also pro American Chinese.
In both bases they are a minority and for sure they don’t guide the politics of their states
