MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. Kiev’s partners seek to push the US to bolster Ukraine’s positions; Syria and Israel ready to make a security agreement; and a Ukrainian strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline heightens Kiev’s tensions with Hungary and Slovakia. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Media: Kiev’s partners seek to push US to bolster Ukraine’s stance

Security guarantees have recently become the focus of efforts to pave the way for talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Experts interviewed by Izvestia say that Western allies are trying to persuade the United States to reinforce Kiev’s positions. While the Kiev visit by US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg is aimed at promoting a political solution to the conflict, European countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Norway, as well as Canada, are expanding military assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Trump has given clear orders to his administration to launch peace talks on Ukraine, so Kellogg’s mission is to persuade Kiev to agree to surrender territory. In contrast, European nations and Canada in no way want the conflict to end on such terms, German political scientist Alexander Rahr pointed out. However, they don’t have a strategy, only the tactics of supplying Ukraine with weapons and making Trump accept that.

"On the one hand, the Americans cannot stop supporting Ukraine because otherwise, Trump would face accusations of betrayal. But on the other hand, they want to secure a peace agreement where Ukraine would have to make concessions," Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, said. He stressed that Vladimir Zelensky was using the Europeans to pressure the US as he prolonged the conflict primarily in order to remain in power.

Meanwhile, China has said that it will not send peacekeepers to the conflict zone in Ukraine, Vedomosti reports. Notably, the Ukrainian leadership had rejected the idea of Chinese security guarantees even before Beijing made the statement. The fact that the Chinese denied reports of plans to deploy peacekeepers does not mean that the situation cannot change in the future, Vasily Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, noted. Chinese peacekeepers’ participation in resolving the Ukraine crisis requires the full consent of all parties, that is, Russia and Ukraine, as well as Kiev’s allies in the UN Security Council; in such a case, China won’t have to deal with negative consequences in international affairs, the expert added.

For Moscow, direct and indirect support from Beijing is highly important, Valdai Discussion Club expert Andrey Kortunov emphasized. In the current situation, China remains one of Russia’s key strategic allies. However, Beijing will demonstrate neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict at this stage.

 

Vedomosti: Syria, Israel ready to reach accords

Israel and Syria have made considerable progress in developing a new bilateral security pact for the first time since the armed opposition seized power in Damascus, Vedomosti reports. The deal will restore the line of disengagement between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights, paving the way for confidence-building measures and a potential peace treaty, the media quoted Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa as saying.

According to Israeli news outlets, the draft agreement also excludes Turkey’s participation in reconstructing the Syrian army, bans the deployment of Syrian air defenses to the demilitarized zone, and stipulates the opening of a humanitarian corridor for the Druze community in the Syrian province of Suwayda. In exchange, Damascus can expect to receive financial assistance from the US and the Gulf countries.

However, the likelihood of an agreement between Israel and Syria is very low, Middle East expert Ruslan Suleimanov noted. First, Damascus has been unable to take the entire country under control. Second, if a deal is made with the Jewish state amid ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, the Syrian leadership risks coming under heavy criticism from Arab nations. In such a situation, the most the two countries can expect is to de-escalate tensions and agree that Israeli strikes on Syrian territory are unacceptable. A full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the buffer zone is out of the question, Suleimanov stressed.

In contrast, Lyudmila Samarskaya, researcher at the Center for Middle East Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, does not rule out an agreement between Israel and Syria as both parties are interested in normalizing bilateral relations, which could be a major foreign policy achievement for both of them. Still, the expert remarked that the Israeli leadership remains somewhat suspicious of the new Syrian authorities because the Arab Republic continues to pose a security threat due to domestic instability. "However, the Jewish state continues to seek to eliminate these risks, and a potential agreement with Syria could at least partially contribute to this," the expert added.

 

Media: Ukrainian strike on oil pipeline heightens tensions with Hungary, Slovakia

Tensions have once again erupted between Kiev and Budapest because of a Ukrainian strike on the Druzhba (or Friendship) pipeline supplying oil to Eastern Europe. Budapest demanded an end to such attacks, while Kiev responded by saying that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government had better abandon Russian energy altogether, Izvestia reported.

Denis Denisov, director of the Institute for Peace Initiatives and Conflict Resolution and expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, highlighted Ukraine’s confrontational view of international relations. "Kiev seeks to build good relations with key countries but neglects smaller nations. We have been hearing overtly insulting statements directed at Budapest. There apparently are two reasons behind this. On the one hand, Hungary must be seen as an average European country that is unable to make a serious impact on financial and political support for Ukraine. On the other hand, Hungary will hold its parliamentary elections in April, and perhaps, Kiev expects that the country’s government will change and Viktor Orban’s team will step down," the analyst elaborated.

Political scientist Alexander Semchenko notes that Ukraine allows itself to make such harsh attacks against Budapest because it feels strong, with the EU and the UK having its back. "In addition, Hungary maintains a dual position. Viktor Orban always retreats when it comes to voting for sanctions on Russia. Besides, Budapest does take part in cooperation aimed at providing weapons to Ukraine. Had Budapest adhered to strict principles, Vladimir Zelensky would have probably refrained from behaving like that," the analyst explained.

Still, Budapest is unlikely to give in to blatant blackmail, Stanislav Tkachenko, a professor in the Department of European Studies at St. Petersburg State University’s Faculty of International Relations, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. According to the expert, it’s hard to say at this point whether Hungary and Slovakia, which also rely on oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, will take tough retaliatory steps. Notably, both countries could reduce gas exports to Ukraine, while Hungary may cut electricity supplies and Slovakia may halt diesel fuel deliveries. Both Budapest and Bratislava have made such threats but the thing to note is that Hungary and Slovakia are small countries that depend on Brussels’ assistance and grants from EU structural funds, Tkachenko concluded.

 

Vedomosti: Trump sends troops to tackle crime to undermine Democrats

It would be possible to restore order in the US state of Maryland, known for a high crime rate, the way it was done in Washington, DC, where National Guard forces were deployed earlier, President Donald Trump said on the Truth Social platform, Vedomosti noted.

According to the World Population Review’s 2023 data, Maryland ranked 17th of the 50 US states, with 2,497 crimes per 100,000 population. Meanwhile, the Maryland city of Baltimore came third in the country for the number of murders in 2023 (37 murders per 100,000 population).

On August 11, Trump decided to deploy National Guard forces to restore order in the US capital. He announced on August 22 that Washington was safe once again. According to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, 719 people were arrested in the capital on August 11-22. On August 25, the Pentagon announced plans to arm the 2,200 National Guard members stationed in Washington.

Trump will definitely keep trying to use the National Guard in Democratic-ruled states, American studies expert Malek Dudakov stated. According to him, this is the way Trump seeks to highlight the efficiency of the federal government compared to local authorities. "The thing to keep in mind is that Wes Moore (Maryland’s Democratic governor - Vedomosti) has presidential aspirations for 2028, and Trump would like to undermine his chances right now," the expert said. He added that apart from crime, Maryland had a lot of other problems, including electricity shortages.

Trump’s decision to use the National Guard is aimed at dealing a blow to potential Democratic presidential candidates, Vladimir Vasilyev, senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for US and Canadian Studies, pointed out. The expert stressed that apart from Moore, Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker might also have presidential ambitions. This is particularly why Trump has lashed out at the authorities of Chicago, the largest city in Illinois. It’s possible that Trump will try to use the National Guard to achieve his goals there, too, Vasilyev concluded.

 

Kommersant: Russian thermal coal exports grow by nearly 19% in six months

Russia boosted its thermal coal exports by almost 19% in the first six months of the year. There was an especially noticeable increase in supplies to India, Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia, Kommersant reported.

According to data from NEFT Research, the situation on Asia’s thermal coal market is benefiting Russian exporters at the end of the summer. Analysts attribute rising prices to declining supplies and China’s growing domestic coal prices amid the summer peak demand for electricity. Given that Australian suppliers have reduced the deliveries of medium-calorie coal, Chinese consumers may face shortages in imported coal in the coming weeks, which will lead to another round of price hikes.

Perhaps, the coming heating season will also support prices, NEFR Research consulting partner Alexander Kotov noted.

A short-term improvement in the situation largely stems from one-time factors such as natural disasters in Australia, while future prospects for Russian coal producers remain uncertain, said Boris Kopeikin, chief economist at the Stolypin Institute of Growth Economics. Although both China and India continue to develop their coal industries, they are also increasing domestic output and actively promoting renewable energy production. Besides, long-distance logistics puts the Russian industry at a disadvantage compared with Australia and some other competitors, the expert explained.

The capacity of Russia’s railway lines, namely the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian Railway Network, as well as the development of port infrastructure in the Far East, are the main drivers that can either accelerate or slow down exports to Asia, Oleg Abelev, head of analytics at the Ricom Trust investment company, stressed.

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