MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. Russia would like to see China among Ukraine’s security guarantors; Israel’s military operation in Gaza may extend into 2026; and India’s top diplomat has arrived in Moscow after talks with his Chinese counterpart. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Media: Russia wants to see China among Ukraine’s security guarantors

Moscow would support security guarantees for Ukraine involving China and other members of the UN Security Council, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Meanwhile, the West’s vision of Ukraine’s security guarantees includes a potential deployment of troops to the country. However, Moscow has repeatedly stated that it will never accept any NATO troops in Ukraine, Vedomosti writes.

Russia is pushing for a peace agreement that would provide a comprehensive solution to the Ukraine crisis and ensure that the conflict will not resume, Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, associate professor at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, said. However, the expert notes that the West will never accept China as a security guarantor, fearing a rise in Beijing’s influence in global politics. "Creating a strong security architecture will take time, and Moscow is ready for lengthy talks to achieve this goal," the analyst added.

European leaders and Moscow hold different views on security guarantees for Ukraine, notes Nikolay Silayev, leading researcher at the Institute of International Studies of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Russia insists that such guarantees must be tied to Ukraine’s neutral and non-nuclear status, while several European countries envision creating a military alliance with Kiev. At the same time, the EU shows little interest in dialogue with Moscow, issuing provocative statements about deploying European troops to Ukraine in an effort to push the White House to maintain pressure on Russia, Silayev added.

Europe’s proposals for security guarantees are certainly unacceptable for Russia as they run counter to the key goals of its special military operation, including the need to demilitarize Ukraine and ensure its neutrality, Diplomatic Academy Vice Principal Oleg Karpovich told Izvestia. "We will not allow the deployment of NATO troops, even under the guise of a ‘coalition of the willing,’ to the country that is potentially hostile to us," the expert explained. Karpovich emphasized that the Russian foreign minister’s suggestion about guarantees from the permanent members of the UN Security Council was far more viable and realistic. Still, the essence of the guarantees needs to be discussed with the five permanent members, primarily China, whose participation in the process is crucial.

 

Izvestia: Israel’s operation in Gaza may continue into 2026

Israel is preparing for the next stage of its military operation in the Gaza Strip, which may continue into 2026. On August 20, the country’s Defense Ministry approved Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. Although the Hamas movement has agreed to release some of the hostages in exchange for a ceasefire, the Jewish state still regards the military option as the primary instrument of pressure, Izvestia writes.

Israel currently controls 75% of the enclave. The first stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began in May, was aimed at a complete takeover of the Strip, the elimination of Hamas in Gaza and the return of hostages. However, it became clear by the summer that neither military nor political goals had been achieved. Nevertheless, the authorities decided to resume the scenario of an offensive, describing it as essential for achieving their strategic objectives.

Middle East expert Leonid Tsukanov says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main goal is to end the conflict in Gaza on Israel’s terms. "Even if Hamas is not fully defeated in the second stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the Israel Defense Forces will take operational control over most of Gaza and will be able to complete the establishment of security corridors inside the enclave. However, no rapid progress should be expected in the short term," Tsukanov added.

Roman Yanushevsky, editor-in-chief of Israel’s Channel 9, pointed out that Israel's decision to make the plan to storm Gaza City public is both a message and a tool of pressure. "Perhaps, it will force Hamas to reach an agreement that will end the war. Both sides are already exhausted because the war is consuming too many resources, so this method of pressure will probably work," he said.

Meanwhile, a diplomatic option for resolving the conflict is also under consideration. According to Israeli media outlets, the country’s leadership is studying a proposal for a phased-deal to exchange hostages and ensure a ceasefire, to which Hamas agreed through the mediation of Egypt and Qatar.

Since Hamas has agreed to the proposal, there are no more valid reasons for Israel to continue its military operation. Now, it will have to either accept the deal or dismiss the efforts of the mediators, including the US, said Egyptian expert in international relations Tarek al-Bardasi.

 

Media: Top Indian diplomat visits Russia after talks with Chinese counterpart

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is in Russia for a two-day visit. Prior to traveling to Moscow, he had held a meeting with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in New Delhi. China’s foreign minister visited India for the first time since 2022. The parties signed a protocol on stabilizing the situation on the border, and Wang highlighted the need for the two countries to see each other as partners rather than rivals, Vedomosti notes.

US President Donald Trump’s pressure on India and China is paving the way for closer coordination with Russia, said Boris Volkhonsky, associate professor at the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University. There are factions in New Delhi that seek to improve relations with China, Gleb Makarevich, researcher at the Center for Indo-Pacific Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, believes.

The BRICS group’s three key members intensified communication after Trump imposed 25% tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil. The tariffs, scheduled to take effect on August 28, will be added to the August 1 levies of 25%, bringing the overall import duties on a wide range of Indian goods to 50%.

New Delhi officials have emphasized that the country will not yield to pressure and will continue to buy oil, but it will bargain for more discounts, Volkhonsky said. It is hardly feasible to redirect the flows of Indian goods from the US to Russia, the expert noted. In any case, Russia is unlikely to offset India’s losses stemming from problems with access to the US market, which accounted for 18% of Indian exports, Makarevich added.

Meanwhile, India has reached a final decision on Russian energy. New Delhi will continue purchasing oil despite US pressure, Indian Ambassador to Moscow Vinay Kumar told Izvestia. In a situation where India has to choose between abandoning Russian oil and accepting US tariffs, it will choose to keep importing hydrocarbons from Russia, Atul Kohli, professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, observed. According to him, the economic costs of this decision will not be insignificant, but India needs to show the world that it maintains its "strategic autonomy."

 

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Trump’s war on cartels risks escalating into war with Venezuela

Relations between Venezuela and the United States are once again going through a serious downturn. The US has deployed three destroyer ships near Venezuela’s coast, based on President Donald Trump’s decision to combat drug trafficking from South America through the Caribbean Sea. In response, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the mobilization of militiamen to protect the country. Neither of the two leaders is likely pursuing open hostilities, but there is still a risk of mutual provocations and incidents that could escalate into war, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

In February 2025, Trump put eight criminal groups active in the countries of the region on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations. Moreover, Trump claimed during his first term in office that the Venezuelan president headed what the US media call Cartel de los Soles (or the Cartel of Suns). The cartel is seen as a criminal network made up of Venezuelan service members and led by high-ranking officers, including generals. There is an image of the sun on their shoulder straps, hence the cartel’s name.

According to the White House, what is notable about Cartel de los Soles is that its members don’t produce drugs domestically but transport banned substances from Colombia, exporting them to other countries. The Venezuelan authorities strongly reject these allegations, saying that the Cartel of Suns is a fabrication, and in fact, the White House simply dislikes Maduro’s policies.

An armed confrontation between Washington and Caracas looks unlikely, Dmitry Rozental, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Latin American Studies, said. "No one will go for a direct military conflict, particularly because the majority of Latin American nations will oppose any attempt at military intervention, including against Venezuela," the analyst explained.

For both the US and Venezuela, domestic policies are the main driver behind the conflict. "Trump seeks to strengthen his position among the hawks in the US establishment by putting pressure on the Latin American nation, even though so far, it’s more like a show of force. As for Maduro, he is also trying to strengthen his standing inside the country and mobilize his voters by creating an image of an external enemy. Such a strategy is not new for him," Rozental concluded.

 

Izvestia: American businesses move to using ruble for settlements with Russia

American businesses now rely on the ruble for settlements with Russia. Several US companies have switched to the Russian currency to buy various goods, from fertilizers to metals, Sergey Katyrin, president of Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Izvestia. Most payments are carried out through intermediaries, while some US firms pay for counterpurchases in rubles.

AMarkets Leading Analyst Igor Rastorguyev confirms that the majority of settlements in the Russian currency that involve US companies are made through intermediary banks or clearing arrangements, and ruble payments are converted. Such transactions indicate that Russia’s national currency is becoming an increasingly common tool even in sensitive areas, the expert noted.

American companies are interested in certain goods from Russia such as metals, fertilizers, petrochemical products and uranium, and ruble payments have become a technical compromise that makes it possible to continue conducting such deals, independent expert Andrey Barkhota pointed out.

Russia seeks to promote its national currency, which allows the country to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks. The very fact that the ruble zone is expanding in international trade is strengthening the country’s financial sovereignty, while providing the basis for long-term stability, Rastorguyev emphasized.

The transition to ruble payments was a forced measure, Finam analyst Alexander Potavin added. Since all of Russia’s key banks were denied the opportunity to carry out dollar and euro payments through the SWIFT system in the past three years, an alternative system had to be created for export and import operations, he explained.

Once the military conflict in Ukraine is over and a peace agreement is signed, the majority of Western sanctions on Russia will be lifted, Potavin predicts. This will probably lead to a modest rise in Russia's foreign currency payments. However, the ruble’s share will never be as low as it used to be.

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