MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. Russia ends its moratorium on the deployment of short-and medium-range missiles; the EU is unlikely to jointly purchase US weapons for Ukraine; and Iran forms a Defense Council as it rules out direct dialogue with the US. These stories have topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Media: Russia ends moratorium on short-, medium-range missiles

Moscow is ending its moratorium on the deployment of ground-launched short-and medium-range missiles, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced. According to its statement, the West is openly stationing short-and medium-range missiles in various parts of the world, while Russia’s initiatives on the issue have seen no reciprocity, Vedomosti reports.

The Russian Foreign Ministry added that officials from the US and its allies announced plans to ensure ‘long-term’—that is, permanent—presence of such US weapons in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, this is about the Typhon medium-range missile system deployed to the Philippines, which was delivered to the country under the guise of military drills but remained there afterward. The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), whose subsequent modifications will have a range of over 1,000 km, was once again tested during an exercise in Australia in 2025. Additionally, the US has announced plans to deploy medium-range missiles to Germany in 2026.

Oleg Barabanov, program director at the Valdai International Discussion Club, does not rule out that Russia’s move to end the moratorium is an element of psychological pressure. Moscow is not seeking to raise the stakes but is rather conducting an informational campaign against the US president. "An arms race between the US and Russia has been going on for years. Now, a new aspect is being added to the Ukrainian theater of war—a global nuclear missile threat," Barabanov said.

According to Dmitry Stefanovich, researcher with the Center for International Security at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, this is a somewhat belated move to "even up the stakes." However, it’s also clear that tensions continue to mount, with all parties contributing to the process. The expert notes that Russia’s unilateral moratorium never took full effect after the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), even though the initiative had a lot of potential to strengthen strategic stability.

Sergey Oznobishchev, director of the Institute for Strategic Assessments, told Kommersant that although in the short term, an arms race is expected to take place with regard to ground-based short-and medium-range missiles, in the longer run, the parties will try to make an agreement on some limitation measures. In the expert’s view, the current situation is a bit reminiscent of the late 1970s European missile crisis between the Soviet Union and NATO, which actually resulted in the INF Treaty. "After all, the Russian president has repeatedly said that an arms race is not our preference," the analyst emphasized.

 

Izvestia: EU unlikely to jointly buy US weapons for Kiev

Participation in the United States’ initiative on weapons supplies to Kiev does not require consensus within the European Union, an official at the Dutch embassy in Russia told Izvestia. Earlier, the EU and the US reached a deal, which particularly includes weapons procurement for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on the bloc’s members to start purchasing more US weapons for the Ukrainian army as soon as possible. However, US President Donald Trump's initiative is too demanding for many EU nations at this point, experts point out.

Earlier reports said that European countries would use various mechanisms to send US weapons to Ukraine. The options include the handover of weapons from their own stockpiles and later purchases of similar weapons for their needs. Germany was one of the countries that supported the initiative, announcing plans to transfer Patriot systems to Kiev. Denmark also expressed readiness to buy US weapons for Ukraine. The Netherlands pledged to send €500 million worth of US weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces. The NATO chief said that those willing to support Kiev also included Finland, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and Canada.

The thing to note is that the deals Trump has been making recently tend to only formally document obligations, political scientist Ivan Loshkaryov noted. "But when it comes to details, the setup of agreements often changes. Given that EU countries’ finances are limited and decision-making by EU institutions is complicated, the real scope of weapons supplies to Ukraine will be smaller than announced, and the deliveries will take more time," the expert elaborated.

Clearly, the initiative threatens to have at least several repercussions, including a rise in debt and budget deficit, Loshkaryov noted. Weapons supplies to Ukraine are objectively becoming a burden for European politicians. "In view of low arms output in the US, deliveries to Ukraine leave open the question of EU countries’ rearmament within NATO," the expert stressed.

Another thing to keep in mind is the possibility of a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict, the analyst went on to say. If agreements are reached on the entire range of related issues, a compromise may also be found on weapons supplies. Some weapons could be sent back to NATO countries, or Ukraine could be forced to resell them to pay its debts.

 

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Iran forms defense council as it rules out direct talks with US

On August 4, the Iranian leadership rejected the prospect of direct talks with the US, which had been suspended due to the Israeli military operation launched overnight into June 13. As Tehran expects another round of escalation, it has announced the establishment of the Defense Council, which is supposed to make coordinated decisions on security issues, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

The Defense Council will handle issues related to defending the country against external threats. Foreign media outlets point out that such an initiative has been implemented for the first time in decades and is likely aimed at combining the capabilities of the country’s armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In addition, a crucial context for the creation of the Defense Council is that dozens of generals responsible for strategic fields were killed in the recent 12-day war.

Russian International Affairs Council expert Kirill Semyonov notes that Iran’s move to establish the Defense Council is part of preparations for a new war with Israel. "The Defense Council is being created in Iran in order to make sure that decision-making is more rapid," the expert explained. "Until recently, it was up to the Supreme National Security Council, a far more cumbersome institution, which discussed a large number of issues, but now, a body is being formed where it’s clear who is accountable for what," he added.

The analyst pointed out that it used to take Iran a long time to develop retaliatory measures in the direct conflict with Israel. "There were problems stemming from the complexity of internal communication and decision-making," Semyonov observed, referring to the recent 12-day war. That said, the Defense Council will now work so that military commanders and civilian authorities don’t have to spend time on such discussions, the expert concluded.

 

Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Central Asia may become key market for Russian gas

Central Asian nations are facing a risk of gas shortages, with a deficit threatening Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports, citing Kazakh news outlet Bugin.info. One of the ways out of the situation is to increase gas supplies from Russia.

The reasons for a rise in gas consumption in Central Asia include population growth, industrial development, infrastructure wear and tear and limited domestic resources.

Alexey Grivach, deputy head of the National Energy Security Fund, points to certain advantages of Russian gas imports aimed at meeting the current and potential energy shortages in these countries: there are enough resources and infrastructure facilities that require minor upgrading.

According to Yevgenia Popova, project manager at the Implementa company, the deficit scenario will unfold in a situation where energy consumption significantly grows in Central Asian countries but production does not increase. For Russia, infrastructure constraints will be the main obstacle to raising exports. At this point, plans include gas supplies to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to meet their own needs. However, swap deliveries to China are possible in the future (with Russian gas provided to Central Asian countries and their gas exported to China).

As Russia has lost access to the European gas market, this option for increasing pipeline gas exports could be very appealing. The only question is what the commercial terms will be. In Grivach’s view, there is currently no better offer on the market for Russian pipeline gas exports, and none is likely to emerge anytime soon.

Valery Andrianov, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, also believes that the Central Asian market, which requires a relatively short transportation leg, is a promising option for Russia’s gas giant Gazprom to maintain and even increase its exports.

 

Izvestia: Thailand-Cambodia talks unlikely to end years-long conflict

The Thailand-Cambodia talks that kicked off in Kuala Lumpur on August 4 are unlikely to settle the years-long conflict between the two countries, said experts interviewed by Izvestia. Observers from China and the US are expected to join the parties later. For Beijing and Washington, it’s not only about peacekeeping ambition, but also geopolitics, as China-US confrontation is particularly intensifying in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia broke out on July 24, and four days later, the countries agreed on a ceasefire brokered by Malaysia, China and the United States. However, both parties have been accusing each other of violating the truce ever since. As no lasting ceasefire has been established yet, the parties will try to make an agreement for those evacuated from border areas to return home, said Yelena Fomichova, senior researcher with the Center of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies.

The main reason behind the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is that their border is not demarcated. Differences in documents date back to the times of French Indochina, a colony that included Cambodia, which had earlier been partially under the sovereignty of Siam (now Thailand). "The issue will not be resolved at the current stage because it is too complex," Fomichova pointed out.

Meanwhile, territorial disputes are often used to mask domestic problems, which is especially true for Thailand, the expert remarked. The situation in the country is tense particularly due to political instability stemming from a change of prime minister, as well as to economic issues related to a sluggish GDP growth rate. That said, the risk remains of a renewed conflict, said Paul Chambers, visiting fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Regional instability is no good for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is why it was the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur that hosted talks between two members of the group. Malaysia currently holds the ASEAN presidency and it’s clearly important for the country’s government to demonstrate its leading, although temporary, role in the organization. Maintaining unity within the association is a crucial political goal, Fomichova stressed.

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