MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump lashes out at Moscow, and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky reshuffles his cabinet. Meanwhile, the EU is struggling to agree on an 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions. These stories topped newspaper headlines across Russia on Tuesday.

 

Izvestia: Trump delivers verbal blow to Moscow

The latest US restrictions on Russia pledged by President Donald Trump in the event of a lack of progress in resolving the Ukraine conflict cannot harm the Russian economy: even 100% tariffs will be of no use amid a record low bilateral trade. As for more sanctions, most essential goods have long been manufactured in Russia or imported via countries not subject to US restrictions, the State Duma explained to Izvestia. Meanwhile, new weapons supplies, including Patriot systems, will not be a gamechanger on the battlefield. Experts doubt US-made Patriots are a superweapon and believe that most threats will likely remain mere rhetoric.

On Monday, the US leader voiced his claims against Russia and proposed both military and economic measures that he thinks should pressure Russia to end the Ukraine conflict. At a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, Trump announced sending more US weapons to be purchased by European nations. Among other weapons, the deal would see Kiev receive 17 Patriot batteries within the next few days.

"Strange that someone still views the notorious Patriot systems as superweapons, even as we have repeatedly destroyed these US [missile] systems in Ukraine, too, — our Kinzhal [missiles] pierce them easily. And the S-400 Triumf missile system is in service with our army, which has better tactical and technical characteristics than US systems," State Duma Deputy and First Deputy Chairman of the Defense Committee Alexey Zhuravlev told Izvestia.

According to him, Moscow may respond in kind to the US move, by sending the S-400 Triumf system to Iran, which has proven to need constant protection from Western missiles, or Yemen’s Houthis who have learned to down US aerial targets using improvised weapons. "I mean, it may take two to play this weapons supply game," the politician concluded.

Apart from military measures, Trump proposed increasing economic pressure on Russia as well, "if we don’t have a deal in 50 days." He threatened "tariffs at about 100%" against Moscow and its trade partners.

Such lofty tariffs may look scary, but last year, trade between Russia and the United States amounted to some $3.5 billion — quite a small volume for both countries, Daniil Bolotskikh, an analyst with BCS World of Investments, noted. This is perhaps why Trump might have actually meant sanctions, not tariffs, he said. By the way, last year, Russia-US trade hit a record low since 1992, he added.

 

Media: Zelensky reshuffles cabinet, prolongs martial law

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko has been nominated for Prime Minister, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel. Under Ukrainian laws, candidates for prime minister, nominated by the president, are appointed by the Verkhovna Rada.

Outgoing Prime Minister Denis Shmygal, who has led the government since March 2020, will become Ukraine’s new defense minister, Zelensky announced a bit later, while current Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will become the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, media reported. Zelensky executed a similar reassignment earlier when he transferred former Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny to the position of ambassador to the United Kingdom.

On Monday, US Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg arrived in Ukraine on a week-long visit. On July 14, he met with Zelensky who wrote on his Telegram channel that the two sides discussed assistance to Ukrainian air defenses, the procurement of weapons by Europe, and anti-Russian sanctions.

Sviridenko’s appointment has been pre-agreed with the West and completely suits Zelensky and the head of his office, Andrey Yermak, Ivan Skorikov, head of the Ukraine Department at the Institute of CIS Studies, told Vedomosti. The new PM is a technocrat politician who has no political ambitions whatsoever. So, the presidential office is recruiting `unambitious individuals’ who cannot overshadow Zelensky. According to Skorikov, the cabinet reshuffle will be followed by a series of criminal cases against corrupt politicians implicated with schemes involving Western aid to Ukraine.

Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, associate professor at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, says Sviridenko is a partner trusted by the West who, among other things, favors selling Ukrainian agricultural land to the Americans or lobbies for the interests of Western companies in Ukraine.

It looks like Kiev’s cabinet shake-up is all about money and weapons, Alexander Malkevich, a member of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, commented to Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Zelensky will perhaps try to replace Zaluzhny, his election rival, too, and the leadership may as well oust current commander-in-chief Alexander Syrsky, a convenient person to be blamed for all failures on the front line. "It looks like a series of reshuffles can take place here to facilitate the win of the pro-presidential party in a future election," the political analyst noted.

Meanwhile, media reported on Monday morning that Zelensky submitted bills to extend martial law and general mobilization for 90 days from August 7 as part of a 16th measure since the large-scale armed confrontation with Russia began in February 2022.

 

Izvestia: EU postpones 18th sanctions package on Russia over oil dispute

The European Union finds it increasingly difficult to impose new sanctions on Russia. This time around, Brussels failed to agree on another package of restrictions because of Malta, Politico reported. Maltese officials resisted the proposal put forward by the European Commission to set an oil price cap on Russian oil exports at 15% below the market price. Apart from Malta, Slovakia and Hungary, too, oppose exerting pressure on the Russian energy sector. However, the EU is already working on a potential 19th sanctions package, MEPs told Izvestia.

The 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions that the EU has yet to agree includes a ban on using the infrastructure of the two Nord Stream gas pipelines. Restrictions would also target two Chinese lenders that cooperate with Moscow, and a Russian oil refinery in India.

The oil price ceiling is the least effective of all sanctions imposed since 2022, says Sergey Tereshkin, Director General of Open Oil Market. According to him, EU countries are guided by bureaucratic logic as the adoption of each new package creates an appearance of ‘doing something’, regardless of whether individual measures work or not.

Besides, the fundamental factors of the oil market, rather than restrictions imposed by the EU or the G7, largely impact compliance with the oil price cap, with Urals following the lead of Brent as it trades at a $10 to $12 discount to the benchmark. "Therefore, the Urals price may drop below $50 per barrel only if Brent hovers at around $60. However, fundamental factors are not yet aligned for that, even amid a drag on demand and higher OPEC+ quotas," Tereshkin adds.

Apart from Malta, Slovakia, Hungary, and some other EU countries may voice concerns about maritime trade or finance, among other specific sectors, MEP Tomas Zdechovksy noted, even as there is no broad consolidated opposition beyond these three countries. And the EU is already discussing additional sanctions, despite all differences. "A 19th package is being considered already, albeit the discussions are at an early and unofficial stage. A technical, not political weariness of sanctions has been a key hurdle," Zdechovksy told Izvestia. Coordinating new sanctions has been increasingly difficult as fresh measures should be targeted, legally sound, and feasible, he argued.

 

Vedomosti: Aluminum prices climb to three-month peak

In June, global aluminum prices grew to a three-month high amid the escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict to reach the average monthly level of $2,516 per ton, last month’s report from Kept shows. The metal saw a 3% rise from May and the prices continued to grow in July, according to data from the London Metal Exchange (LME): on July 14, three-month aluminum rose to $2,593 per metric ton, an increase of 6% from early June, and, on July 10, aluminum traded even higher, at $2,611/ (+7%), or a record since March.

Analysts at Kept explain last month’s increase in prices with traders’ concerns that political tensions in the Middle East will trigger aluminum supply disruptions. According to the International Aluminium Institute, the Gulf countries account for 9% of global aluminum production. Excluding the largest supplier, China, their share amounts to 21% globally, Kept noted.

Aluminum prices rose in June because US tariff talks with a number of countries broke down, Maxim Khudalov, an independent industry expert, maintains. Alexey Kalachev, an analyst at Finam, agrees that US import tariffs have pushed metal prices higher. Since early April, aluminum prices have grown by around 10%, even as they trade below the level seen in February, Kalachev said. According to the expert, the global market is still experiencing oversupply, and aluminum production exceeded consumption by almost 540,000 metric tons in the first quarter of 2025.

Russia is the world’s third-largest aluminum supplier after China and India, and Rusal is Russia’s largest aluminum producer and exporter. Last year, the Russian aluminum monopoly raised production by 4% to 3.99 million metric tons. Higher aluminum prices have supported Rusal’s revenue but they do not guarantee it any growth in financial performance, Vasily Danilov, a lead analyst at Veles Capital, told Vedomosti. However, he expects Rusal’s revenue to grow by 11% in 2025, predicting that its EBITDA and profitability will reach approximately 9% and 12% respectively.

 

Kommersant: Bitcoin hits new all-time high

On Monday, Bitcoin beat another historical record by climbing above $123,000. The world’s largest cryptocurrency is becoming an increasingly important asset for both institutional investors and individual companies. Besides, market players expect the Fed to ease its monetary policy soon, which is pushing up demand for high-risk assets.

Alexander Kraiko, a lead analyst at Cifra Markets, noted that the Bitcoin price rose from $119,000 to $123,000 between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Moscow time (GMT +3) on July 14, which reflects "the high demand for bitcoin from Asian investors."

Market players say Bitcoin has been recognized as a financial asset on Wall Street. There has been a steady inflow of institutional funds into this segment of late, mostly through spot Bitcoin ETFs.

Experts estimate that the leading cryptocurrency could as well rise to $135,000 or even $150,000 in the coming months amid positive investor sentiment. Nor do they rule out any major price corrections. Ryan Lee, a lead analyst at Bitget Research, says Bitcoin may "fall back to the range of $105,000 to $115,000 against the backdrop of profit-taking, debates about the rate and geopolitical risks." Uncertainty around Trump’s trade policy, too, remains. Vasily Girya, CEO of GIS Mining, told Kommersant that "investors are balancing between optimism over potential monetary easing by the Fed, risks of escalating trade wars, and geoeconomics." However, he doubts Bitcoin will rise above $160,000 this year in the absence of new fundamental drivers.

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