MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The European Union unveils a proposal to suspend the free trade agreement with Israel amid its offensive in Gaza City, and the Russian military is providing drone expertise to their CSTO counterparts as the Rubezh 2025 exercises kick off in Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is weighing sending a team of its experts to Russia. These stories topped Thursday's newspaper headlines in Russia.
Vedomosti: EU threatens Israel with sanctions amid Gaza offensive
On September 17, the European Commission (EC) announced a proposal to suspend the free trade agreement between Israel and the European Union. The suspension means that Israeli imports will lose their preferential access to the EU market and will be subject to duties at the level applied to those countries with whom the bloc has no free trade agreement, the EC explained in a press release on its website.
As part of its restrictive measures, the EU may also freeze 20 million euros in annual financial support for Israeli projects. In addition, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas proposed imposing sanctions on Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Hamas members, too, may be sanctioned.
The proposals came because Israel excessively used force in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian land, Associate Professor at the Financial University under the Russian Government Alexander Kamkin explained to Vedomosti. The position of the US administration, which has fully supported the Jewish state in the Middle East, gave them an additional push. "The Israeli leadership will hardly review its approach to the Palestinian problem amid the European pressure. Nor will new EU sanctions put a stifling effect on the Israeli economy," the expert argued.
Israel announced a powerful ground offensive in Gaza City on the night of September 15-16, soon after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up his visit to Jerusalem. Later on Tuesday, an independent international UN commission looking into the developments in the occupied Palestinian land described the policies being pursued by Israel in Gaza as genocide.
Moreover, on the day the new Israel operation began, Luxembourg announced plans to recognize the Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly session later this month in a joint move with France, Britain, Canada, Australia and Malta.
Israel has been tough on its own security for decades, and it has ignored others’ opinion for just as long, Pavel Timofeyev, head of the Section for Regional Issues and Conflicts at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, noted. According to him, the Europeans are rather confused with Israel’s behavior, and they are quite unwilling to impose restrictions as the Jewish state is their major partner. Besides, Timofeyev continued, the chances of the cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backing down under European pressure are extremely slim. If Netanyahu puts an end to the operation in Palestine, he may risk losing votes, the expert concluded.
Izvestia: Russian military shares drone expertise with CSTO allies at exercise Rubezh 2025
An active phase of the Rubezh 2025 military drills of the Rapid Deployment Collective Forces of the Central Asian Region kicked off in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday. At the maneuvers, Russian servicemen will share their experience gained in the course of the special military operation, mostly in using drones and countering these relatively new weapons, with their allies. Russia acquired extensive experience in using drones, which is now of significance to the military in the rest of the world, experts say.
Among other things, allied troops will practice operations to destroy illegal armed formations in the scenario of an incursion into a member state of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Military contingents from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as operational groups of the CSTO Joint Staff and Secretariat are taking part in the drills. The exercise involves some 1,200 troops and more than 500 pieces of military and special hardware, including aircraft, helicopters, combat motorboats and attack and reconnaissance drone crews.
In the course of the special military operation, the Russian Army has had extensive practice amid a high-intensity conflict, Andrey Grozin, head of the Central Asia Department at the Institute of CIS Countries, told Izvestia. "Our army has had substantial practice, and the military across the world are examining it under a microscope. The use of unmanned platforms is a major field that has been a decisive factor on the battlefield," he said.
In particular, Russia’s CSTO allies have no experience in the use of FPV or Mavic drones, military expert Yury Lyamin told Izvestia. Also, participants in the drills may be interested in the protection system for armored combat vehicles, the expert added.
Based on this expertise, a number of Central Asian countries have already started to modernize their armies, Grozin continued. Russia is interested in maintaining a calm situation in the region, experts interviewed by Izvestia say. "The CSTO armies should be taught to fight potential crises on their own," Grozin explained. "And such exercises are useful for the Russian Army, too. Our servicemen get an insight into local landscapes, urban and rural features as they practice cooperation with allied forces," he said.
Izvestia: OPCW experts could join probe into Ukrainian crimes
The use of chemical warfare agents by Ukraine has received widespread publicity. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is discussing the parameters of a potential visit by a team of its experts to Russia, the country’s Permanent Representation to the OPCW Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia. Moscow asked the OPCW to send its experts back in July, after Ukrainian explosives loaded with toxic chemicals were discovered in a liberated village in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The organization has previously dismissed Russia’s requests concerning the use of chemical weapons by Ukraine. According to Tarabrin, Kiev has set up a network of chemical labs that specialize in the production of poisonous substances and delivery means. However, experts question the chances of the OPCW joining the probe amid Western pressure.
Even after the arrival of the new US administration, Western countries have been in no hurry to revive dialogue on issues on the OPCW’s agenda with Russia, Tarabrin noted. "Nevertheless, I cannot help but note that the Americans have somewhat softened their anti-Russian rhetoric. Even so, this has been overcompensated with a surge in hostility on the part of EU officials who have stepped up their criticism of our country," the Russian diplomat lamented.
The OPCW being willing to discuss the parameters of a potential visit of its experts to Russia may come amid the restoration of dialogue between Moscow and Washington as the organization is largely influenced by the United States, and its Secretariat relies heavily on the United States for its position, said Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of Moscow State Pedagogical University’s Institute of History and Politics. He recalled that the United States contributes around 22% to the OPCW budget.
However, Shapovalov surmised that the West may try and block Russia’s requests to investigate the production and use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian troops at international venues.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Future of European purchases of Russian oil in question
Hungary and Slovakia continue to justify their right to purchase Russian oil and gas, despite pressure from the European Commission. The two countries argue that there is no viable substitute for Russian energy, as they also cite the threat to their national energy security in the event of phased out Russian imports. Because of this, media reported, the EU has even hesitated to adopt a 19th sanctions package on Russia.
Meanwhile, the other members of the European Union have been exerting pressure on Hungary and Slovakia, even as they recently rejected the US proposal to impose a higher tariff on importers of Russian oil, primarily China and India. True, unlike a potential halt to direct oil and gas supplies to Europe, this measure could seriously hurt our energy exports.
Sergey Kaufman, an analyst at Finam, says Russian crude is trading with a discount which gives oil refineries in Slovakia and Hungary an extra refining margin. In 2024, the two countries relied on oil from Russia for more than 80% of their imports. The Adriatic oil pipeline across Croatia, an alternative route for both countries, can meet more than three-fourths of their import demand, the expert noted.
Valery Andrianov, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that expert estimates show that Hungary may lose up to 4% of its GDP if it stops buying Russian energy. Slovakia, too, relies heavily on Russian energy imports, and its officials have repeatedly emphasized this.
The same is true with natural gas: Hungary and Slovakia currently buy 11 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually, or 9.2% of their exports, Kaufman estimated. To replace that, they could either import LNG via third countries or, say, buy Azerbaijani gas via Turkey. The expert says Russia may formally increase gas supplies to Turkey should Hungary and Slovakia be forced to drop Russian natural gas. This, Kaufman argues, will mostly depend on how the geopolitical situation develops further down the road. If the special military operation does not end any time soon, and the United States and the rest of the EU put more pressure on Budapest and Bratislava, they will find it difficult not to quit Russian energy, Kaufman concluded.
Kommersant: Most non-ferrous metals except nickel may climb more than expected until 2027
Analysts at BCS have raised their estimate for copper, aluminum and platinoid prices until 2027 as they lowered their forecast for nickel, a report showed. Excess production is the main reason why nickel prices have been struggling to recover for years, experts say. "Over the past two years, global supply has surpassed demand by around 200,000 metric tons, and 2025 will not be an exception," Mikhail Shulgin, chief analyst at the investment research center of Rosgosstrakh Life insurer, told Kommersant.
While the copper market remains volatile, Nornickel noted, platinoids have been rising since May amid falling supply from South Africa, which accounts for 70% of global platinum production, stronger demand from the jewelry market, and a rise in the manufacturing of vehicles with combustion engines in the first half of 2025, Russia’s largest metals and mining company continued.
Kirill Lysenko, an analyst for sovereign and regional ratings at Expert RA, noted that South Africa and Russia account for the bulk of platinoid supplies, and expanded production in these countries has been constrained by a challenging investment climate and geopolitical risks. Meanwhile, the expert added, consumption of platinum, palladium and rhodium from carmakers is rising as the demand for these metals from the electronics, healthcare technology and chemical industries continues growing. The investor interest supports value as investors are increasingly considering platinum and palladium as safe assets, similar to gold, Lysenko said.
TASS is not responsible for the material quoted in these press reviews