MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. Washington is weighing its role in the Israeli-Iranian conflict, international joint ventures are planned at SPIEF, and Zelensky falls short of securing the desired financial support at the G7 summit. These stories topped Thursday's headlines across Russia.
Media: Washington mulls whether it's worth attacking Iran
The US entering the Iran-Israel conflict risks the stand-off spilling over to other countries in the region, the expert community believes. The US is expected to decide on potential strikes on the Islamic republic in the next 24 hours. However, there is no consensus in US President Donald Trump’s camp on the matter: many recall failures in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq. So far, Trump has claimed that Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an "easy target," and the US knows his exact hiding location. That said, countries are emerging ready to mediate the conflict’s settlement. For instance, Switzerland may assist in resolving the Iranian-Israeli standoff, the country’s Foreign Ministry told Izvestia.
"The United States has deployed about 40 КС-135 and КС-46 aerial refueling tanker aircraft to Europe. This is a rather serious fleet, it is enhanced with fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets of the US Air Force and F/A-18 aircraft," Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Militaryrussia portal told Izvestia. "There are also two carrier-based groups in the Middle East. Some planes were redeployed to Saudi Arabia and some US bases in the Persian Gulf on June 17," he added.
The US Air Force’s direct participation, delivering strikes on the Iranian military and energy facilities in the region alongside Israel’s aviation, could expand the conflict outside its current geographic borders, analyst Tigran Meloyan from the HSE Mediterranean Studies Center told Izvestia. In his opinion, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Persian Gulf monarchies may end up in the risk zone.
"US facilities in Iraq and Arabian monarchies are definitely threatened, for instance, Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, one of the largest in the region. Even though the US facilities will become the main target, such a development will exacerbate Iran’s relations with its neighbors," Eastern studies expert Leonid Tsukanov said in a conversation with Izvestia.
The Trump administration has not made a final decision on the Iranian-Israeli conflict, Associate Professor at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics Dmitry Novikov believes.
The expert stressed in a conversation with Vedomosti that the Trump administration’s current strategy is based on psychological pressure, particularly effective given Iran’s vulnerable position. The US leadership is facing a difficult choice between continuing the policy of threats or moving to direct combat, with the risks of further escalation remaining extremely high.
The US and Israel’s goals in the Middle East significantly diverge, expert at the Valdai Discussion Club Andrey Kortunov told Vedomosti. According to him, Israel aims to change Iran’s regime and is ready for further escalation, while the US is focusing on resolving the nuclear deal issue and is not interested in a military aggravation.
The expert emphasized that Trump has no intention of becoming a puppet of the Israeli leadership. The US president is not interested in Iran’s domestic political processes, Kortunov explained.
According to the political scientist, a potential meeting between representatives from the US and Iran may become the key indicator of the situation’s further development. In the absence of the negotiations, Washington will continue to support Israel. In the event the meeting does happen, the US side will formulate independent decisions with regard to its stance in the conflict.
Kortunov noted that Iran will exert every effort to prevent the US’ direct intervention. However, the expert believes that Washington’s indirect participation in the conflict, without any major military involvement, is a more likely scenario.
Izvestia: Russia to launch 15 joint ventures with US by yearend
By the end of the year, Russia will establish 10-15 joint ventures with American enterprises, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries Kirill Dmitriev said following a business breakfast with representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce. The event was held within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Meanwhile, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov noted that Russia does not reject cooperation with foreign investors, yet will adhere to certain principles.
"We are already discussing joint investments in the Arctic, in the area of rare-earth metals, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and other sectors. Undoubtedly, the priority is given to Russian companies, so many US investors will enter the domestic market in partnership with our businesses. We will receive direct benefits from interaction with our US partners," the RDIF head said.
The sides began to discuss the potential terms of cooperation in joint projects, this is about positive rhetoric, yet these are impulses and not real actions, Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the Center for Market Studies at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University), told Izvestia. Until the international conflict shifts to a peace stage, it is too early to talk about any advancements, the expert asserted.
"The Americans have always been more open, willingly sharing their plans and actions. However, I am confident that our EU colleagues, private enterprises, are also in dialogue with Russian companies, discussing cooperation opportunities," he noted. "Yes, most likely, not all foreign companies will return to Russia, we must protect our market, this is done in all countries across the world," the expert added.
SPIEF-2025 hosts a multitude of business events and experts anticipate a number of major business deals being reached. In addition to the US, delegations from African countries, Bahrain, India, Iran, China and EU countries will exchange opinions during discussions. Russia plans to sign a strategic partnership declaration with Indonesia. Overall, the forum will be attended by representatives from approximately 50 countries.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Zelensky receives limited backing at G7 summit
Vladimir Zelensky has departed from the G7 summit in Canada ahead of schedule, which US President Donald Trump had left even earlier without discussing any plans for new arms deliveries. That said, Zelensky had to settle for promises of further support from the remaining leaders. However, he did not attain the desired goal - US arms supplies and guaranteed financial aid from the G7 to the tune of $40 billion, meant to support Ukraine’s viable condition, experts pointed out.
Judging from the results of the past G7 summit, the West has grown weary of the Ukrainian conflict and of Zelensky himself, Center for Political Information Director General Alexey Mukhin said in a commentary for the newspaper. "And, even though he obtained promises of support from Canada, which certainly looks very powerful, he did not attain the main thing. He could not convince Donald Trump to continue arms supplies to Kiev because the latter dismissed their meeting. Neither did he secure any guarantees on $40 billion annual aid from the G7 in order to maintain Ukraine not only in the combat but simply in the functioning condition. And without it, the Ukrainian state will not last long," the expert explained.
"This will also define the key policy course for Western allies in the Ukrainian situation, which, apparently, will still continue for some time. It is obvious that the US will also support Ukraine’s further aggressive actions against Russia, including even terror attacks by Ukrainian special services," Mukhin added. In his opinion, Zelensky will "try to compensate at the upcoming NATO summit in the Hague at the end of June. Yet he is unlikely to succeed. According to my information, there are those in Washington still against his participation in the meeting of the North Atlantic Alliance," the expert concluded.
Vedomosti: Prospects of ties with US given renewed trade relations
The trade turnover between Russia and the US may swiftly grow given the low baseline effect if decisions on restoring trade ties are made, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said in an interview with Izvestia. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU, comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan) is a promising market for the US as it consists of approximately 190 million consumers with decent purchasing power residing within a shared customs zone, the official noted.
"Currently, the US is engaging investors and seeks to create new production enterprises domestically. Even given the capacity of the North American market, the US will be interested in increasing its exports," Overchuk explained.
In order to resume trade relations between Russia and the US, the possibility of financial transactions between the two countries must become the first step, Alexander Shirov, director of the Institute of Economic Forecasting at the Russian Academy of Sciences, asserted. The current restrictions do not allow this, and that is the main limiting factor, he added.
Until European sanctions are lifted, trade with the US is impossible simply because a transport blockade is in effect, preventing deliveries from the US, Oleg Buklemishev of Moscow State University’s Economics Department said.
There are a multitude of areas where Russia and the US’ economic interests coincide, and they may be implemented using the resources of both countries, Shirov noted. According to the expert, this involves energy, rare-earth metals and the metal industry, as these segments of the Russian market may be the most appealing to the Americans.
Izvestia: Potential Australia-EU treaty to disrupt stability in Asia-Pacific
A potential agreement between the EU and Australia does not contribute to enhancing stability in the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Embassy in Canberra told Izvestia. Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to launch talks on military cooperation, but without forming an official union. Under the agreement, Canberra will receive access to European militarization programs while Brussels will establish its own geopolitical community, experts believe. In their opinion, the rapprochement with the EU may be a bargaining chip amid differences that emerged between Australia and the US within the AUKUS bloc due to problems with delivering American submarines.
The agreement with Australia is one of the ways of drawing the EU and NATO into Asia-Pacific affairs. These organizations hope to significantly expand their presence there because the Asia-Pacific region is the future center of global political and economic development, 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.
"It is obvious that Australia cannot act as an independent force. So it needs support from other Western countries, France, in particular, and especially Germany," the expert believes.
The signing of this document can expand Australia’s capabilities in participating in joint arms purchases with the EU. Engaging Canberra in the EU’s politics will become another tool of stimulating the union’s economy as prospectively, 65% of the arms purchased must be produced in the EU or a country with the existing defense agreement with the bloc, political scientist Yegor Belyachkov told Izvestia.
"Given the introduction of trade tariffs by the Trump administration and the instability of Washington’s policy course, the EU is trying to assume those US’ spheres of influence where Washington has become somewhat less active over recent months," the expert emphasized.
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