I'm not surprised 'you missed it.'(Deleted. L.) The point is about Russia's decisions and Putin going on his knees to get a deal done with China. The conditions are unfavourable to the country and the expenses just make it that much worse.
AFAIK the deal with China hasn’t been finalized yet. The price ,etc. are negotiable, and only the framework agreement about sides’ intentions to build a second pipeline was signed, and some ballpark figures about the total size of the future deal were outline so far. Bloomberg believes it's American, Canadian, and Australian companies should complain, not the Russians. Hence, “Putin going on his knees” sounds like a pretty strong metaphor. What "expenses" specifically make you so unnerving about the deal?

Russia-China Gas Accord to Pressure LNG in Canada, Australia - Bloomberg