Kommersant: Putin, Trump likely to meet in July
Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are reportedly gearing up for a summit in July. Numerous media leaks about the two leaders’ meeting, which is expected to be held in one of the European capitals, and information provided by Kommersant’s sources, indicate that preparations for it are underway. However, the paper’s interlocutors warned many White House officials are opposed to the idea, arguing that for Trump the proposed meeting will only make sense in the event of a breakthrough agreement on at least one of the key issues on the Russian-US agenda.
This has been confirmed by former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and currently Director of the Center for Political Studies Andrei Fyodorov who cited his own US diplomatic sources. "Among the opponents of the July summit plans is National Security Adviser John Bolton. Bolton known for his critical attitude towards Russia insists that for Donald Trump such a meeting would only make sense if he could take credit for it, similarly to the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore," Fyodorov explained. "At the moment, the White House is not certain Trump could present his summit with Vladimir Putin to his opponents as a foreign policy victory in the run-up to the November elections to the US Congress. For example, an agreement to revive the nuclear disarmament negotiation process and maintain strategic stability could be such a victory."
According to Yuri Rogulev, Director of the Franklin Roosevelt US Policy Studies Center at Moscow State University, "Trump shows consistency in fulfilling his election pledges, although he is not ready yet to fully iron out relations with Russia." "As the alleged ‘Russian meddling’ probe is running out of steam, Trump is trying to achieve a reset in relations with Moscow. His remarks about making Russia a member of the global powers’ club again and turning the G7 into G8 was yet another reminder," the expert stressed.
Izvestia: Jailed pilot Yaroshenko to meet with his family after seven-year break
The wife and daughter of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko sentenced to 20 years in a US prison will visit him this summer, Yaroshenko’s wife Viktoria told Izvestia, adding that her husband has been transferred to the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution, Connecticut.
The jailed Russian national last met with his family in early 2011 in the US where he was brought by the US intelligence services from Liberia. According to Viktoria, her daughter and she are waiting for a visa to travel to the US.
"We have been interviewed at the US Embassy in Moscow and are expected to get permission to enter the country soon. We plan to travel to America this summer for a month, maybe longer. It all depends on how much money we will have. Actually, the lack of money was the reason why we could not go earlier," she said.
Viktoria hoped their arrival would give her husband strength to cope with the difficult circumstances, particularly now that he has been transferred to a prison located in another state.
"We are eagerly looking forward to the meeting. We are glad that we will be able to be with Konstantin at a time when he needs to adapt to a new environment, get used to new people and regulations."
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: China, US embark on trade war path
The United States is to impose 25% tariffs on Chinese imports worth $50 bln as of July 6. President Donald Trump said the proposed move was aimed at punishing Beijing for intellectual property and technology theft.
The US leader came forward with similar accusations against China in the past as well. However, in May the world’s two biggest economies held consultations, which resulted in the hope that the parties could come to terms and resolve the standoff. Beijing said it was ready to make concessions and expand exports of US products. However, its diplomatic maneuver has failed, Rossiyskaya Gazeta writes.
"The market has already taken these risks into account to a sufficient extent," Finam analyst Alexei Kalachev told the paper. There will be tit-for-tat moves from China, and it is difficult to predict how all that will end, he noted. According to the expert, the trade war will affect, above all, America’s global companies’ asset prices and, through the US stock market, the global economy in general and Russia in particular.
"These US moves were predictable, since Trump has outlined his approach in economic diplomacy, specifically, to up the ante to secure concessions," the paper quotes Petr Mozias, Associate Professor at the Higher School of Economics’ World Economy and International Affairs Faculty. "It’s quite possible that Trump liked China’s statements about concessions, and they prompted him to take more steps for the sake of new concessions."
The Chinese and US economies are closely interrelated, and tough measures will hurt both sides. Trump cannot fail to realize that and is pushing for concessions for the US economy, in particular, increase access to Chinese market for US products and investment, Mozias pointed out.
Kommersant: Hackers set their sights on personal data
The number of cyber incidents in Russia grew 32% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year, according to a report by Positive Technologies obtained by Kommersant. Cyber attackers are seeking to obtain individuals’ personal data increasingly more, with the share of such attacks reaching 36% in the aforementioned period (compared to 23% in 2017).
One may indeed get the impression that hackers are interested in personal data more and more often, but all that is ultimately done for the sake of financial enrichment, Anton Fishman of Group-IB stressed. With the development of dark web markets, it has become much easier to sell information. That includes industrial espionage, various organizations’ financial documents and users’ personal data, he explained.
Individuals were most affected by cyber attacks (28% of attacks in the first quarter of 2018), As a rule, in those cases attackers used malicious software, that is, spyware (34%), cryptocurrency miners (27%) and ads distribution software (18%).
Hackers invent new ways of stealing money and data by using social engineering. For example, people are offered to take part in a poll for remuneration but asked to pay a commission fee prior to that, says Tatyana Sidorina, Kaspersky Lab’s Content Analyst.
Izvestia: Slovak delegation to pay visit to Crimea
Lawmakers and entrepreneurs from Slovakia will travel to Crimea in August 2018, Co-Chairman of the Yalta International Economic Forum (YIEF) Organizing Committee and Co-Chairman of the Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) association Andrei Nazarov informed Izvestia.
"To date, Slovakia is an important EU member-state, which openly and publicly, at the level of lawmakers, advocates the removal of anti-Russian sanctions and recognition of Crimea residents’ will. Therefore, we invited the Slovak delegation to visit Crimea to discuss topical issues related to bilateral ties, interregional cooperation and steps to restore trust, along with the implementation of business and investment projects," he said. "During their visit, which will last five days, the Slovak politicians and businesspeople will visit Crimea’s enterprises and meet with regional ministers and entrepreneurs."
Business community representatives will make up the bulk of the delegation, Slovak MP Peter Marcek who will lead the delegation told the paper.
"The businesspeople who are the members of the delegation will represent various spheres, for example, construction, tourism, agriculture and others. For them, it is important to evaluate the peninsula’s investment potential and discuss the implementation of specific investment projects with their Russian counterparts," he noted.
According to the Slovak lawmaker, Crimea needs special attention because of attempts by Ukraine and some European countries to isolate the region.
"We want to contribute to efforts to overcome all barriers. It is important to make sure that the European Union’s citizens can visit the peninsula as tourists and businesspeople could invest in the region without any restrictions," he explained.
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