MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. World reacts to Maduro’s re-election as Venezuela’s president; global media, experts consider chances of full-blown Israel-Lebanon war; and BRICS countries align themselves on WTO issues. These stories topped Tuesday's newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Media: World reacts to Maduro’s re-election as president of Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro, who has been at the helm of Venezuela since the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013, has been re-elected for a third six-year term that will begin on January 10, 2025. He won re-election with 51.2% of the vote with 80% of ballots counted. His rival Edmundo Gonzalez garnered 44.02% of the vote. Voter turnout stood at 59%.

Inside the country, claims of widespread election fraud captured headlines. Embattled opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Gonzalez would have won in a landslide had the ballots from Sunday’s presidential election been counted properly.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of congratulations to Maduro on Monday, and the Russian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to boosting ties with this Latin American country.

The international response to the election was quite polarized. The leaders of China, Syria and Iran all congratulated Maduro on his win.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, expressed "serious concerns" about the election results as he called for a fair and transparent voter count.

Latin America was split over the results: while Bolivia, Cuba and Honduras came out in support of Maduro, and Brazil hailed the peaceful vote, Argentina, Peru, Guatemala, Chile and Costa Rica chose not to recognize the official results. Colombian Foreign Minister Luiz Gilberto Murillo called for an independent audit of the vote count "as soon as possible."

Political analyst Jesus Seguias said the chances of the opposition securing a recount are slim. "The government has already made a political decision <…>. The authorities have the power to uphold their decision, whereas the opposition lacks the means to challenge it," he told Izvestia.

Alexander Arabyadzhan at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS) echoed this sentiment. He also predicted that the United States would likely tighten sanctions on Venezuela in the next few months.

Viktor Heifets, editor-in-chief of the Latinskaya Amerika (Latin America) magazine, told Vedomosti that Washington, which was betting on the opposition winning, will eventually refuse to recognize the results of the election, but that it would neither lift nor ease its sanctions. "As regards the sanctions, much will depend on the results of the election in the United States itself," he concluded, saying that it would be hard to imagine Donald Trump softening sanctions if he is elected.

 

Izvestia: Global media, experts weigh in on chances of full-blown war in Lebanon

The possibility of Israel carrying out an all-out offensive against Lebanon is still on the table, IDF Spokesperson Anna Ukolov told Izvestia. The recent rocket attack on the Israeli-held Golan Heights that left 12 children killed spurred the latest bout of tension on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Tel Aviv immediately accused the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah of the strike. Hezbollah rejected the accusations, saying the incident was caused by Israeli air defenses. Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister’s adviser Dmitri Gendelman stressed that the Lebanese Republic was fully responsible for any Hezbollah action. And Israel’s Knesset added that, unless Beirut gets the situation under control, it will approve a motion to deploy troops to Lebanon to stop any further attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cut his official visit to the US short over the incident, said that the deadly attack would not go unanswered as he threatened Hezbollah with fierce retaliation.

Israel has already delivered several air and rocket strikes on localities in southern Lebanon.

Amid these new happenings, global media and experts are speculating on the risks of a full-blown war breaking out. With most agreeing that the Jewish state is limited in its capabilities amid the ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip, an offensive against Hezbollah has many doubting its potential effectiveness.

"Militarily, Israel failed to win on the front against Lebanon in 2006, even as it used all its might and made lengthy preparations, so how can it succeed with an exhausted army that has been unable to get anything done in Gaza?" Musallam Sheajto, Al Mayadeen’s Moscow bureau chief, asked rhetorically in an interview with Izvestia as he maintained that Hezbollah is a force to be reckoned with in southern Lebanon, having lots of the most modern weapons at its disposal.

"Israel’s plans are unclear. The Arab community and Iran are reluctant to wage wars, and this may be very painful for each party," agrees Andrey Baklanov, a professor at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University).

 

Kommersant: BRICS countries forge united trade policy to help negotiating position in WTO

At a meeting in Moscow on July 26, BRICS economy and trade ministers came to a unified position on trade issues, including on their participation in the World Trade Organization, according to a communique. Among other things, they formulated statements on supply chains, trade measures regarding climate, efforts toward facilitating trade in agriculture and cooperation at the WTO.

The agreements reached in Moscow suggest that BRICS members will start coordinating their positions on issues being discussed at the global trade body. In other words, BRICS will attempt to present a united front, even though there is none so far, Yekaterina Mayorova, who heads the Department for Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Economy, explained to Kommersant. This unified position comes as a response to the crisis facing the WTO as it is becoming increasingly difficult for WTO member countries to negotiate with each other. And a coordinated position within the BRICS framework can strengthen the negotiating positions of the participating countries, she insists. BRICS members are in agreement that the dispute resolution mechanism must continue to operate as, in general, they seek to preserve the WTO’s role, she added.

A separate statement on the efficient functioning of supply chains serves as a reminder that BRICS members are among the largest holders of natural resources, including critical ones, Mayorova said.

And the BRICS countries also hold similar positions on climate as they criticize green protectionism and are getting ready to take a united front on this not only at the WTO but also at other venues, she concluded.

 

Izvestia: Moscow accuses West of energy blackmail

Slovakia and Hungary have demanded that the European Union act as a mediator in their dispute with Ukraine after Kiev refused to allow Lukoil oil to pass through its territory. However, the European Commission has so far refused to take any steps. Initially, Budapest expected the EC to begin consultations with Kiev before July 25. "The European Commission is collecting more information before making any decision," the EC told Izvestia.

"The West is using energy as an instrument not even in a political fight but for exerting direct pressure and for blackmail purposes against economies and nations," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Izvestia.

The Hungarian premier’s office has already called for resolving the problem at least by September as it accused Ukraine of blackmail, too.

However, political analyst Kirill Averyanov says one should not expect any prompt action from Brussels soon. "The EU may as well take Kiev’s side, albeit not directly, as it may simply take its time resolving the issue or take a purely formal attitude," he maintains.

Alexander Frolov, Deputy General Director of the Russian Institute of National Energy, believes that, unless the EC settles the issue with Ukraine by September, Hungary and Slovakia will be forced to look for alternative oil suppliers but that a major energy crisis is unlikely.

While almost no damage can be done to Russia as an economy amid the situation, exporting oil through the Druzhba pipeline is more profitable than rerouting seaborne shipments to other markets for Lukoil, expert at the Financial University and a leading analyst at the National Energy Fund Igor Yushkov told the newspaper.

 

Kommersant: Finland, Sweden to stop purchasing Russian LNG

Finland’s Gasum terminated its Russian LNG purchases on July 26 as it declared force majeure under its contract with Novatek’s Cryogaz-Vysotsk project. The fresh sanctions imposed by the EU last month banned the purchase or importation of Russian LNG through terminals not connected to the EU’s natural gas network which affected exports to Sweden, too. In June and July, the two Nordic countries continued to buy Russian LNG, with Helsinki increasing its imports from the United States and Norway, as well. Over that period, Sweden’s imports halved against last year.

Viktor Katona at Kpler told Kommersant that, unlike Finland, which can receive conventional tankers, replacing Russian volumes may be much harder for the Swedish as the entire local market can consume small-tonnage LNG supplies only. "While small LNG supplies from Norway’s Stavanger continue, Sweden is likely to import less [LNG] in the near future," he argues.

Whether Cryogaz-Vysotsk can soon redistribute the volumes it once sold to Finland and Sweden, which accounted for one-third of its design capacity, is what matters most currently. While up to 50% of the plant’s exports go to Belgium, the volume being sold there has not increased yet. According to Kpler, in June and July, Novatek began shipping almost as much LNG to Spain as it once sold to Finland and Sweden.

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