MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. Kiev may be deliberately setting unacceptable conditions for negotiations to later blame Russia for a failure in talks; Thailand-Cambodia conflict has escalated sharply, triggering renewed international mediation efforts; and Russia and the UAE aim to double bilateral trade to $20 bln. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Kiev seeks to set unacceptable terms to blame Moscow for talks breakdown
Kiev is putting forward conditions unacceptable to Russia in order to later accuse Moscow of sabotaging the negotiations, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. Vladimir Zelensky unexpectedly declared that he was ready to hold elections in Ukraine, while simultaneously insisting that security be ensured by the United States and Europe. In practice, this would amount to a ceasefire outside of any peace agreement, which contradicts Moscow’s position.
Kiev will once again attempt to blame Russia for a breakdown in the negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for Crimes of the Kiev Regime Rodion Miroshnik said. Ukraine, he noted, is posturing in response to pressure from the United States and to Trump’s demands that it make maximum progress on the plan he proposed.
At present, Zelensky is stalling to rewrite the terms of the agreement proposed by Donald Trump: having rejected the American plan, Kiev and Brussels are coordinating their own, the newspaper writes. The statements made by the heads of the Kiev regime should not be taken seriously, Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmitruk told Izvestia.
"For Zelensky today, any statements are nothing more than a PR move – an attempt to remain visible and create the illusion of political relevance. <…> There can no longer be any talk of agreeing ‘not to strike energy facilities’ while the entire system of warfare continues. Without a political decision, discussing technical parameters is meaningless," Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmitruk told Izvestia.
He added that Russia, the United States, and other international actors can now address issues of peace and a cessation of hostilities only with a legitimate Ukrainian authority. Zelensky, he stressed, is no longer regarded as part of this process and cannot participate in it.
"Zelensky links the prospect of holding elections with security guarantees provided by the United States and European countries. For now, it is difficult to imagine in what manner and in what capacity this security would be ensured. Russia has consistently opposed the presence of additional troops from third countries as a security force during any potential cessation of hostilities," staff member of the Department of International Relations and Integration Processes at the Faculty of Political Science of Moscow State University Ilya Shcherbakov said.
Izvestia: Escalation in Thai-Cambodian conflict prompts renewed diplomatic efforts
A new round of escalation in the long-standing conflict flared over the past weekend, and the Thai military has now announced the start of a joint Navy and Air Force operation, Izvestia writes. Both sides have already sustained fatalities and injuries, including among civilians, and roughly 500,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. Washington has finally acknowledged that the conflict has reignited, and Donald Trump intends to bring the parties back to the negotiating table.
The peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, concluded in October with Trump’s mediation, is presented by the American president as one of his major achievements and as grounds for awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize. Nevertheless, this accord, like the agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is now on the verge of collapse, US media note.
For both Cambodia and Thailand, the United States is an important trading partner, which gives Washington considerable leverage in the peace process, Grigory Kucherenko, Junior Research Fellow in the Department for New Challenges in South and Southeast Asia at the Center for the Indo-Pacific Region of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, told Izvestia.
"Beyond tariffs, Donald Trump can reduce imports from both countries or alter their trade status with the United States - he has a wide range of tools. The only question is how far he is prepared to go. At the same time, US involvement alone is not enough to resolve the crisis, as Washington does not fully understand its underlying causes," the expert continued.
Kucherenko noted that the conflict is unlikely to escalate into a full-scale war, but its duration remains difficult to predict. Thailand is pursuing several objectives. Domestically, it aims to preserve and strengthen the standing of the armed forces, which was somewhat shaken after the elections. In foreign policy terms, Thailand is also seeking to reinforce control over disputed territories. It is because of these territories and the absence of a clearly demarcated border that the Thai-Cambodian conflict has been smoldering for more than a century.
Russia is counting on the resolution of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia within the framework of the arrangements reached with US mediation in Kuala Lumpur, the Russian Embassy in Phnom Penh told Izvestia. The Russian Embassy in Cambodia also noted that, for now, there is no risk of the conflict escalating into a full-scale war.
Vedomosti: Indonesian president makes second Moscow visit as bilateral cooperation deepens
On December 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin received Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in the Kremlin. This is his second visit to Russia in 2025 - earlier, in June in St. Petersburg, the two leaders signed a declaration on strategic partnership and spoke at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. According to experts interviewed by Vedomosti, Indonesia’s outreach to Russia reflects both Jakarta’s interest in nuclear, defense and agricultural cooperation and Prabowo’s domestic political calculations, while ASEAN states increasingly view Moscow as a valuable third force amid US-China rivalry.
Speaking about the economic relations between the two countries, Putin noted that bilateral trade had grown in 2025 - not by 40%, as was the case over the first four months, but by 17% over nine months. The Russian leader added that Moscow and Jakarta have "very good prospects in the field of energy, including nuclear generation."
Indonesia is interested in expanding trade and economic cooperation with Russia, Alexander Korolev, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, told Vedomosti. According to him, there is now room for confidential talks between Moscow and Jakarta on nuclear energy and military-technical cooperation. Prabowo Subianto is also highly interested in food imports from Russia - from wheat to beef.
Moreover, through this visit he seeks in part to address domestic political issues: to shift the attention of Indonesian public opinion and to bolster his approval rating through agreements with Russia, Korolev believes. At the same time, the internal political situation in Indonesia does not appear threatening for the president - the opposition is fragmented.
ASEAN countries, amid tensions between the United States and China, need a third power that can help shape their security architecture, and that power is Russia, Dmitry Mosiakov, Head of the Center for Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the newspaper.
Vedomosti: Russia, UAE target doubling trade to $20 bln as cooperation expands
Trade between Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may surpass the 2023 record of $10.2 bln in 2025, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov said following the 12th meeting of the intergovernmental commission on the sidelines of the first Russia-UAE Business Forum in Dubai. Experts told Vedomosti the strongest prospects for Russia-UAE cooperation lie in technology exchange, logistics digitalization, and the Emirates’ strategic transport infrastructure, while sanctions risks continue to shape the limits of financial integration.
"We will exceed that threshold and even surpass those figures this year," the minister said about the 2023 record of $10.2 bln. On December 2, after Alikhanov’s meeting with UAE Ambassador to Moscow Mohammed Ahmed Al-Jaber, the Industry and Trade Ministry reported that bilateral trade between January and September 2025 reached $8.9 bln - up 40.7% from 2024.
In turn, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri emphasized during the forum’s plenary session that cooperation between the two countries has expanded despite "global tensions." As evidence, he cited not only trade figures but also the fact that more than 13,500 Russian companies are registered in the Emirates, with over 2,000 new licenses granted in 2025.
There are promising opportunities for cooperation with the Emirates in the energy sector, particularly in technology exchange, Stanislav Lazovsky, Junior Research Fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, told Vedomosti. The UAE is also attractive from a logistics standpoint due to its role in the North-South corridor, its port capabilities for transshipping Russian cargo, and the use of Dubai and Abu Dhabi as aviation hubs, he noted.
Space, Lazovsky argued, is more of a prestige domain for the Emirates, while genuine potential lies in joint projects to digitize logistics: the UAE offers advanced technological solutions, while Russia provides strong engineering and IT expertise. Moscow’s experience in digital urban-control systems is also noteworthy, he said. Transitioning to payments via an Emirati application is possible, he added, though sanctions risks remain a significant consideration.
Kommersant: Silver prices hit historic high as supply constraints drive market rally
The global exchange price of silver has reached a historic high, exceeding $61 per troy ounce. Since the end of November, the metal has risen 23% - outpacing by several multiples the growth rates of other precious metals. The rally of recent weeks has been driven by a shortage of silver on world exchanges, strong demand from ETFs, and the actions of speculators who had previously bet on a price decline, Kommersant writes.
The steady rise in silver prices in recent weeks has taken place against a backdrop of weaker dynamics in other precious metals. From the second decade of November, gold and palladium on the spot market rose by 3.3-7.8%, while platinum added more than 10%. As a result, since the beginning of the year gold has gained 60%, palladium - 64%, and platinum - 85%.
Astero Falcon portfolio manager Alyona Nikolaeva told the newspaper that in November the United States included silver on its list of critical minerals, sharply increasing the likelihood of protective measures in 2026-2027.
As a result, silver began to be transferred from the United Kingdom to the United States, which caused a liquidity squeeze, an increase in the premium on COMEX relative to the London Metal Exchange, and a spike in rates. "Against the backdrop of minimal inventories in London and nearly depleted warehouses in Shanghai, this produced a classic short squeeze," Nikolaeva noted.
If the current international environment continues and the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates, market participants allow for a further increase in silver prices.
"If geopolitical tensions ease, one may expect a decline in demand and a reduction in ETF holdings, which would allow the accumulated deficit to be partially offset and warehouse stocks to recover," Nikita Bredikhin, leading investment analyst at Go Invest, told Kommersant. However, according to Nikolaeva, silver prices will remain in the range of $55-65 per ounce through year-end. At the same time, the market is overheated, and "after an almost vertical rally, a correction toward $50 per ounce is entirely likely," she added.
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