MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. Resignation of Zelensky’s top aide may push Kiev to reconsider its approach to dialogue, and Kazakhstan protests against Ukraine’s attack on the oil pipeline infrastructure. Meanwhile, US leader Donald Trump steps up his pressure campaign on Venezuela. These stories topped Monday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Kiev may revisit its approach to dialogue in wake of resignation of Zelensky’s top aide
The scandalous high-profile resignation of Andrey Yermak, the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, opens the way for a more pragmatic path in negotiations for Ukraine, Russian foreign ministry’s ambassador at large, Rodion Miroshnik, told Izvestia. As the conflict unfolds, he added, conditions inevitably worsen for Kiev and prospects for negotiations will depend on whether the Ukrainian side is ready to prioritize a stop to the bloodshed.
Against the backdrop of the political crisis, the Kiev regime has notably increased its diplomatic activity globally. On Sunday, a Ukrainian delegation visited Washington for consultations on resolving the conflict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the US leader’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Ukrainian negotiators led by Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, instead of Yermak. The Florida meeting should become a step toward coordinating positions ahead of a potential meeting between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. The date of the meeting remains undecided.
Later on Monday, Zelensky will arrive in Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, Witkoff is preparing to travel to Moscow. The upcoming meetings are expected to focus on positions regarding the most controversial issues of the negotiation process.
"Since a corruption scandal broke in Kiev, support for Zelensky has largely lost its significance for Washington, while Kiev seems to have found itself in the most critical position since February 2022, now that problems on the front line have been aggravated with political issues domestically and external pressure from its key partner," an analyst at the Higher School of Economics, Tigran Meloyan, told Izvestia. And Witkoff’s upcoming visit to Moscow, he argued, is yet another proof that, despite the imposition of US sanctions on the Russian oil sector, Russia remains committed to dialogue with the United States as a continuation of the Anchorage summit.
While a peace plan for Ukraine, drafted by the United States, that should put an end to hostilities and help the transition to finding a political solution, offers a rare window of opportunity to stabilize the situation, it is Kiev that has demonstrated the most reluctance to compromise without which the likelihood of ending the conflict seems improbable.
However, the Ukrainian leadership could as well reject any peace agreement, Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, noted. "Like any other Ukrainian politician who could potentially sign a peace accord, Zelensky risks being accused of making concessions and may therefore try and avoid this responsibility," the expert told Izvestia.
Vedomosti: Kazakhstan protests against Ukrainian attack on oil pipeline infrastructure
The attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) infrastructure off the Russian seaport of Novorossiysk on Saturday night may harm bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and Astana expects Kiev to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents from taking place in the future, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In response, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted in a statement that the strikes by the Ukrainian military on the CPC infrastructure did not target Kazakhstan, but rather sought to "weaken the military-industrial potential" of Russia in order to deprive it of means to continue hostilities.
The Ukrainians used drones and uncrewed speedboats in the attack. As a result, Outside Pier 2 near Novorossiysk was severely damaged, and using it is not yet feasible, the CPC reported.
Also, during the attack, the Ukrainian Navy’s drones hit two Gambian-flagged tankers heading for loading to Novorossiysk, Reuters reported, citing a Ukrainian Security Council official.
Ukraine is deliberately seeking to disrupt the negotiation process as it also sends a signal to the United States about its reluctance to compromise in potential peace talks with Russia, something that US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for previously, Pavel Koshkin, senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for US and Canadian Studies, told Vedomosti. According to him, Kiev does not even try to conceal its role in the attack, therefore Ukraine is also trying to use that to undermine Washington’s peace initiatives.
In the wake of the Ukrainian attack on the CPC infrastructure, Washington may as well increase its pressure on Kiev, as the consortium involves US companies, too, Koshkin surmised. "This is not guaranteed though, as the White House has been struggling to pursue its policy on the Ukrainian track, mostly amid strong pressure from the opposition inside the country," the expert continued.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan cannot fully reroute its CPC oil to other pipelines, Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, maintained, as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline does not have enough tankers, capacity or oil terminals for Kazakh oil shipments, even as the latter pipeline is currently underutilized and could potentially accept additional oil, the expert continued. "If the oil loading pause [at the CPC] lasts more than a week, storage tanks will fill up very quickly, and Kazakhstan will have to reduce oil production. Oil producers will not be able to pay taxes as usual. As a result, the cost of oil shipments across the Black Sea could increase," he warned.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Trump increases pressure campaign on Maduro as he declares skies over republic closed
US President Donald Trump warned his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, that the United States may launch an invasion of the Bolivarian republic unless the Venezuelan leader leaves power willingly by December 18, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. While this report has not been confirmed yet, there are signs that the "war of nerves" between the United States and Venezuela may soon reach its climax: Trump called for the airspace over and around the Latin American country to be considered completely closed, while Venezuela stepped up its crackdown on opposition leaders who could replace Maduro.
On Saturday, Trump took to his Truth Social media platform to declare the airspace above Venezuela should be considered closed. "To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY," he posted. According to the WSJ, a short while prior to that, Trump held a phone call with Maduro in which the US leader rejected the proposal to hold a one-on-one and the Venezuelan leader declined to step down. Nor is Venezuela going to accept the US rules about a no-fly zone.
"The Bolivarian government warns that Venezuela will not implement orders or obey threats or interference from any other foreign country," Venezuela’s top diplomat, Yvan Gil Pinto, said in a statement on Telegram.
Trump’s remarks came alongside US media reports alleging that the Maduro administration has increased its pressure against the opposition. According to PROVEA, a Venezuelan human rights network, in October, as many as 54 people were detained, many of whom have ties to Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado.
According to Viktor Kheifets, director of the Ibero-American Studies Center at St. Petersburg State University, reports about the clampdown on the opposition may serve as a pretext for US military invasion. "I think this is purely a media campaign that has nothing to do with reality. And Maria Corina Machado may be behind it. Maduro would need a pretext to begin repressions. And I cannot see any for the time being," the expert commented to Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
Izvestia: US intensifies pressure on Turkey over Russian energy purchases
The United States has stepped up its pressure on Turkey over Russian oil and gas purchases, the Russian Embassy in Ankara told Izvestia. Washington is increasingly pushing its allies to reduce or even cancel their energy cooperation with Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia accounts for 47% of the republic’s oil imports, while Russian natural gas meets about 50% of its needs. While, against this backdrop, the share of Russian oil in exports to Turkey has reportedly declined, experts argue that in reality oil purchases have continued unabated.
For the Turkish leadership, energy imports from Russia are not a question of whether they like or dislike Russia, but rather a question of whether they will gain from cooperation or not, economist Vasily Koltashov, director of the Institute of New Society, explained to Izvestia. "Turks have traditionally sought to win, or continue cooperation, as Ankara is governed by an administration that does not rely on the West, and this is why it has not halted trade with Russia," he said.
A reduction in Russian energy imports, if any, will likely be more nominal than real, Koltashov emphasized. According to him, the West has exerted a similar pressure on many Asian markets as regards anti-Russian sanctions: while Indian oil refineries have already announced a cessation of Russian oil purchases, this announcement actually has not corresponded to reality.
Russian grain exports to Turkey may be promising, Yury Mavashev, an Orientalist and lecturer at the Department of World Politics and World Economy at the RANEPA Institute of Management, told Izvestia. According to his estimates, as the republic may face a severe drought in 2026, it may double Russian grain imports to 7.3 million metric tons.
Koltashov agrees that Turkey is facing a difficult economic situation. Should Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan succumb to Western pressure, things inside the country "will get even worse" for him, the expert concluded.
Kommersant: Silver prices grow two-fold in 2025, following gold’s suit
Global silver prices have reached a new all-time high, rising above $56 per troy ounce, as the precious metal has almost doubled in price since early 2025. Other precious metals too, saw a rise, albeit a more modest one. The prices were mostly driven by expectations of further monetary easing by the Federal Reserve, including now that the US shutdown has concluded.
Besides, a supply shortage remains on the silver market amid high demand for the metal, mostly from investors.
Over the past few days, silver has outperformed other precious metals, with spot market prices for gold and palladium rising by 4% to 5% and platinum going up by 10%. Since the start of 2025, gold and palladium have risen by 60%, and platinum has gained 85%.
Nikita Bredikhin, leading investment analyst at Go Invest, explained to Kommersant that during the 43-day US federal government shutdown more than $619 billion in funds was borrowed, creating market liquidity shortages. Against that backdrop, market expectations regarding the US federal funds rates increased as investors now expect the Fed to transition from quantitative tightening (QT) to quantitative easing (QE).
Sergey Suverov, investment strategist at Aricapital Asset Management, explained that a rate cut could push the dollar index and Treasury yields lower, increasing the appeal of investments in stocks and precious metals. Moreover, rising geopolitical tensions, including expectations of a military conflict between the United States and Venezuela, may trigger a rise in safe-haven assets.
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