MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. Syrian President Bashar Assad travels to Moscow to talk with Putin, Biden addresses nation, and Kremlin receives mixed signals from Ukraine. These stories topped Friday's newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Vedomosti: Why did Syrian President Bashar Assad visit Russia?

Late on July 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad in Moscow. The sides discussed trade and economic ties between the two countries, the situation in the Middle East and joint efforts to overcome regional challenges, the Kremlin press service said the next day.

In addition to discussing regional issues, the heads of state may have broached the topic of Syria’s post-war recovery, said Ivan Bocharov, program coordinator at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). The expert reiterated that last year, Damascus normalized relations with several Arab countries. Additionally, Syria’s membership in the League of Arab States was renewed, a move that was facilitated by Moscow. "Russia supports Saudi Arabia’s aspiration to participate in multilateral cooperation formats, for example, within the framework of BRICS, as well as assists in bringing in investments from wealthy Arab monarchies to Syria," the expert added.

Bocharov speculated that the sides may have discussed the situation around the Gaza Strip and the Kurd issue in Syria. According to him, theoretically Moscow may participate in settling the conflict within the framework of a dialogue between the Syrian government and local Kurds.

According to Ikbal Durre, associate professor at Moscow State Linguistic University, after Damascus relaxed its stance on the withdrawal of Turkish troops, the window of opportunity opened for the potential renewal of Turkish-Syrian talks. Earlier, Assad said that the start of any dialogue would be contingent on a troop pullout. The expert noted that now the Syrian president is ready to discuss the timeframe for the withdrawal.

Durre stressed that another sticking point for the Turkish-Syrian negotiations is the issue of Syrian Kurds whom Ankara views as hostile. According to him, Turkey does not want the Kurds residing along the Syrian-Turkish border to receive any political status. He noted that this was stalling the process of normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara, because Syria cannot suppress the Kurdish rebels and, moreover, is holding informal talks with them, which displeases the Turkish side. In his opinion, this will not help lead to a breakthrough in bilateral relations. Durre thinks that Ankara is unlikely to withdraw its troops until the Kurd issue is resolved but talks may launch a reconciliation process between the two countries.

 

Izvestia: Aftermath of Biden abandoning presidential race

US President Joe Biden has addressed the nation from the Oval Office for the first time since his COVID isolation. The American leader noted it was necessary to preserve democracy, explaining that his dropping out of the election race was a kind of passing of the torch to the younger generation represented by Kamala Harris. He also vowed that during his last six months as president, he will continue supporting the Kiev regime, help partners in the Asia-Pacific region and even stop the conflict in the Middle East. However, experts think that Biden was forced to exit the race by high-ranking Democrats, and the president wasn't exactly happy about this.

According to the experts, Biden may be something of a wildcard in the last months of his presidency.

"I think that someone who has nothing to lose is rather dangerous. In domestic policy, he is the ultimate ‘lame duck’ who will do everything possible for his own political party. In foreign policy, I am afraid he will go all out. He may bolster support for Ukraine by trying to skirt Congress as much as possible. I think that some backdoor injections of unofficial money are quite possible," Mikhail Mironyuk, associate professor at the Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia.

US lawyer specializing in international law Kline Preston does not see any chance of Biden leaving office early and concurs that he will hit the gas with his foreign policy. He told Izvestia that the incumbent president is unlikely to leave while he is still more or less healthy. In Preston’s opinion, Biden will try to double down on his "achievements" during the remainder of his term, continuing to support Ukraine, something that has been an utter failure to this point.

American Studies expert Edward Lozansky has a different opinion, suggesting that Biden and company probably won’t rock the boat too much because they don’t want to put off an already wavering electorate. In his opinion, the Democrats are unlikely to make any big moves so as not to push away voters who remain on the fence. The specialist thinks that the Democrats will put all their efforts toward promoting Kamala Harris, who has been in Biden’s shadow during his entire presidency.

 

Izvestia: Kremlin receives ‘unclear signals’ from Ukraine

Russia still sees a murky path toward peace talks with Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia. According to him, Moscow is observing "unclear signals" and is uncertain of their believability. Informed sources say that some circles in Kiev are ready to negotiate because Ukraine’s forces are exhausted. Russia has repeatedly said that it is interested in settling the crisis diplomatically, on the condition that its Constitution and the rights of the Russian-speaking population are observed.

"Theoretically, launching talks this year is possible, given the intensified rhetoric around them going on now. However, there is no understanding yet as to how they will be conducted, where, what concessions will be on the table and so on," Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Russian Presidential Council on Interethnic Relations, told Izvestia. "First of all, by the end of the year there will be a new US president. Secondly, as even Western media outlets are saying now, Ukraine is losing the ‘war of attrition.’ Certainly, Kiev receives support but it is dwindling, that is, the volumes are getting smaller. For example, Germany, Ukraine’s largest military donor in the EU, will halve its support in 2025 (from €8 bln to €4 bln).

According to Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Research Director Andrey Kortunov, direct talks between Russia and Ukraine are unlikely. A mediated dialogue between Moscow and Kiev is much more possible. China, which earlier presented a 12-point plan for settling the conflict, may serve as a mediator. Other candidates include Turkey, Brazil, as well as Middle Eastern monarchies.

"What we saw in the grain deal is much more likely, where there are no direct talks but two parallel tracks of dialogue via a third party. With the grain deal, it was Turkey and the UN but here other options are possible. This will make things easier, at least in the initial stages of the negotiation process," he told Izvestia.

 

Media: Top Russian diplomat calls on ASEAN to resist third-party meddling

The West views Southeast Asia as its domain and is bolstering interaction with the countries in the region with the goal of cutting them off from Chinese influence. For Russia, this region is also important given its strategy to turn to the East, analysts polled by Izvestia say, commenting on statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted that the top Russian diplomat had repeatedly pointed out that ASEAN is the core of the Asian-Pacific security architecture. Moscow gives special attention to this issue due to NATO’s attempts to spread its tentacles to the region as well.

The key goal of the West’s policy with regard to ASEAN today is to turn the region into yet another hotspot, on the border with China this time, Dmitry Mosyakov, head of the Center for the Study of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, told Izvestia.

"The West is constantly telling the countries in the region about the Chinese threat, and not just from the point of view of political relations, but also for purely economic reasons. Since, these days, ASEAN is China’s main trade and economic partner. So the goal to undermine these relations is clear-cut."

This approach from the White House is based on the fact that the West has always seen ASEAN countries as a vehicle to further its own interests. And if during the Cold War, the US viewed the association as an anti-Communist buffer in the region, now it is increasing its presence there precisely to contain China, Pavel Shaternikov of the Center for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, insists.

"The West's aspiration to bolster its positions in the region does not go unnoticed by the Chinese side, compelling it to ensure the security of its southeastern borders," he told Izvestia.

In this situation, Russia is also interested in ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific region because its general policy of "turning to the East" must be based on reliable and stable ties, ASEAN countries included. This is why Moscow has recently intensified interaction on this track. The countries in the region are also interested in cooperating with Russia given that they need continued supplies of arms, fertilizers and agricultural products, the experts point out.

 

Kommersant: Chinese brands taking over Russian car market

Chinese motor vehicles may eclipse French and US brands on Russia’s roads in the next few years. From January to June, the number of Chinese-made cars registered in Russia has increased by 28% to nearly 1.9 mln, or 4% of the entire motor pool. Registrations have gone way up over the past year and a half, after global brands left Russia and the automotive market recovered. Analysts point out that currently, the situation is such that practically no other new foreign-made vehicles are being sold in the country, which increases the share of Chinese cars.

According to analyst Vladimir Bespalov, the current share of Chinese brands in new car sales is over 50%, while the entire market volume has been restored to the traditional 120,000-130,000 monthly figure since the end of summer of 2023.

The expert also noted that, until 2022, brands from various countries were present on the Russian automotive market, and not a single one of them, with the exception of Russia, had such a significant share in sales.

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