MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. The UK prime minister and the French president discuss Ukraine in Paris, while China is reported to be working on building its own nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Meanwhile, German lawmakers may urge Donald Trump to release information on the Nord Stream sabotage. These stories topped Tuesday's newspaper headlines in Russia.
Izvestia: British PM, French president meet in Paris to discuss Ukraine
On November 11, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron. While officially Starmer attended a WWII armistice anniversary, he became the first UK premier to do so since Winston Churchill. According to the official press release, the two politicians discussed the situation in Ukraine and support for Kiev ahead of the winter season.
However, Macron and Starmer likely touched upon the issue of allowing Ukraine to fire long-range weapons deep into Russia. Prior to their meeting, The Daily Telegraph reported that Starmer and Macron were expected to make a last-ditch attempt to thwart US President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce US support for Kiev. These reports have not been refuted.
"There are hawks in the NATO camp who may largely complicate potential Moscow-Washington talks," French political analyst Nikola Mirkovic told Izvestia. "They seek to continue this war on Russia, therefore they want to benefit as much as possible from the last months of Joe Biden’s presidency," the expert said as he criticized this dangerous policy course, which, he argued, draws European countries into confrontation and could bring even more tension, hampering talks between Washington and Moscow when Trump takes office. "The NATO camp seems to be wishing to put a spoke in Trump’s wheel to make his term extremely difficult," Mirkovic added, wondering what Europe’s strategic interest currently was.
Russian envoy to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, said the North Atlantic Alliance has long been pursuing a course toward directly undermining the pan-European security system by recklessly expanding NATO’s military infrastructure, organizing color revolutions, destroying arms control, and encouraging what he termed caveman Russophobia and neo-Nazi practices in the Baltics and Ukraine. "By sending weapons to the Kiev regime and considering the use of longer-range weapons against Russia today, NATO allies must understand a simple formula: either there is security for all, or there is none for anyone," the Russian diplomat said. He expressed hope that the internal political processes in the United States and a number of European countries will inspire a more sober and responsible attitude in Western elites toward the extravagant initiatives of the beleaguered regime of Vladimir Zelensky.
Vedomosti: China develops nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
China has built a prototype land-based nuclear reactor for a large surface warship, which indicates that Beijing is developing its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, researchers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies told the Associated Press (AP). They studied satellite images of a site near Leshan in the province of Sichuan in southwestern China, as well as open sources, including project tenders, personnel files, and environmental impact studies. They have concluded that this is the first confirmation of reports that have long circulated in the media suggesting that China’s fourth aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered. Back in 2018, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) published a press release saying that China plans to "triple efforts" to build such warships. The press release was later deleted.
While China has not yet commented on the AP report, in March, Yuan Huazhi, political commissar for China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), confirmed the construction of a fourth carrier and said that it would soon be announced whether it would be nuclear-powered in an interview with Hong Kong Commercial Daily.
Currently, only France and the United States have nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. At present, China has three aircraft carriers, of which the latest, Fujian, was launched at sea in 2022 and has been undergoing sea trials since September 2024. The aircraft, equipped with an accelerating electromagnetic catapult system, is expected to enter service with the PLAN next year. China acquired its first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, from Ukraine in 1998.
The AP report should not be viewed as a scoop, as news has surfaced on the websites of specialized Chinese state-run companies about work on a nuclear reactor for a large surface ship underway since at least 2017, Vasily Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), told Vedomosti. Moreover, China is developing a floating nuclear power plant project for use in the South China Sea, and initial work toward building a Chinese nuclear-powered icebreaker has been carried out, Kashin continued. Also, in the 2000s, Russia discussed transferring its solutions on nuclear reactors for floating NPPs with China, he added. In general, Kashin said, China considers itself a naval power, and a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will enable it to exercise a global military presence. This, in turn, will propel China’s role in global politics to a new level, where it will support its allies and put pressure on its adversaries, Kashin concluded.
Izvestia: German MPs urge Trump to declassify information on Nord Stream sabotage
Donald Trump’s election win could impact the investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. Members of the opposition party Alternative for Germany are considering sending an open letter to the next US president, urging him to release information about the 2022 attack on the natural gas pipelines to the public. "This could generate a media effect to draw attention to the issue," a member of the German Bundestag, Eugen Schmidt, told Izvestia.
His fellow legislator Gerold Otten said the Alternative for Germany may do so early next year, after Trump is inaugurated as US president. "This will become possible no earlier than January, after a new government takes office. It is impossible to do so now as long as the Biden administration is in power," he said in an interview with Izvestia.
"US presidents have enough legal authority; for example, they can initiate judicial probes," Igor Kovalev, first deputy dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Politics at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University), explained to Izvestia. However, first, not all documents can be unclassified, and second, even if such documents do exist, and if it turns out that the US played a direct role in blowing up the gas pipelines, Trump will likely avoid disclosing them, as the country’s reputation would be at stake, he argued.
"While a president has the mandate to provide access to classified papers, Trump will likely think like a president," program manager of the Russian International Affairs Council Konstantin Sukhoverkhov told Izvestia. He will be aligned with Democrats in his rationale here, as originally, he campaigned that the launch of Nord Stream 2 could damage American interests, since the project would give Europe too much leeway, making Germany, for one, overly reliant on Russia. Accordingly, the Americans maintained that such an instrument must be eliminated, which is what Trump sought to do during his first term, Sukhoverkhov said.
Kommersant: Bitcoin prices reach new all-time high as market surge continues
On Monday, Bitcoin soared to $85,500, marking a new all-time high, Coinmarketcap data showed. The latest Bitcoin bull run began a week ago, and the cryptocurrency has risen by 25% since then. It has doubled in price since the beginning of 2024, bringing its market capitalization to more than $1.67 trillion. Its share of the total market capitalization is nearing 60%, the highest level since March 2021.
The cryptocurrency market has been upbeat following the election of Donald Trump as US president, who has actively supported the industry, as well as in the wake of positive statements by other politicians.
However, there are still factors that may prevent the cryptocurrency market from rising further, including uncertainty over legislation. Some governments have been discussing imposing stricter controls on this market, Roman Kaufman, a DeFi analyst, noted. Data from market players and the Deribit crypto derivatives trading platform showed that too many Bitcoin options between $90,000 and $100,000 have been purchased, which could prevent any further price increases, Pavel Fyodorov, founder of the Fractio platform, told Kommersant.
Where Bitcoin will go next will depend on statements from the new US administration. "Trump has spoken of supporting the industry, but he has not disclosed any specific measures. And most of his statements have sounded too populist to be taken seriously. The industry is now waiting for real action, or at least realistic plans," Ryan Lee, a leading analyst at Bitget Research, said.
Meanwhile, after Thanksgiving and ahead of Christmas, the cryptocurrency market may experience a "Santa Claus rally,", experts warn. During this period, investment funds typically purchase instruments issued by market leaders to show better financial results. "Bitcoin’s price could hit a new high of over $90,000 and even try to climb as high as $100,000," Lee predicted.
Kommersant: Dollar rise pushes gold prices lower
On November 11, global gold prices dropped to $2,613 per troy ounce, marking the month's lowest point, trading 2.7% lower than Friday’s close, data from Investing.com showed. Over the past nearly two weeks, gold has fallen by more than 7% from the record high of October 30, with other precious metals also experiencing significant declines.
Gold has been trading lower as the USD strengthens on the global market, with investors buying dollar-denominated assets in response to the victory of Republican Donald Trump in the US presidential election. During the election campaign, he promised to slash taxes and impose higher import tariffs.
All of this, according to Mikhail Vasilyev, chief analyst at Sovcombank, will spur inflation in the country and, in turn, push the Fed’s interest rates higher, which will boost the dollar and weigh on US bond prices.
Trump’s election victory has removed much of the political uncertainty, which has reduced demand for safer assets. "Investors are now shifting focus to higher-yielding assets," said Alyona Nikolayeva, Portfolio Manager at Astero Falcon.
How the precious metal will trade next will depend on the dollar’s movement and statements from the US president-elect regarding China, as well as the plans of his administration. Natalia Pyryeva, leading analyst at Tsifra Broker, does not rule out the possibility that gold prices may fall to $2,400-$2,500 per troy ounce. Vasilyev believes that global geopolitical tensions may escalate when Trump takes office in early 2025, which could support gold prices. Experts predict that gold may rise to $3,000 per ounce next year.
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