MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Ukraine is losing ground amid weakening Western support, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks covered more than 70 topics during his Q&A session. Meanwhile, Israel has sounded the alarm about nuclear rebuilding in Iran. These stories topped Monday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Kiev loses ground amid weakening support
Russian special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev described last weekend’s talks in Miami with US negotiators as constructive. The latest meeting was aimed at gaining insights into the outcome of recent consultations between the Americans and the Europeans. Meanwhile, Washington is doing its best to persuade Kiev to sign a peace deal, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. The United States has already halted direct funding, and the EU failed to coordinate a reparations loan for Kiev using frozen Russian assets at a recent summit.
Even as the Americans are accelerating the negotiation process, Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, argued that one should not expect any major concessions from Kiev - at least as long as it receives some support from Europe. EU leaders gathered in Brussels on December 18-19 to try to coordinate a reparations loan for Ukraine using Russia’s immobilized assets. However, they failed to do so and only agreed to provide 90 billion euros to Kiev, a sum that would hardly be enough to cover the budget deficit over the next two years or buy weapons on a large scale.
The failed summit showed once again that discord and fatigue from the Ukraine conflict have intensified inside the EU, which lacks a unified strategy to end it. This will affect the settlement prospects, Verkhovna Rada member Artyom Dmitruk told Izvestia. "The lack of clear and consolidated decisions on the part of the EU weakens Kiev, intensifies the internal crisis and makes moving to find other ways of resolving the conflict — no longer on the terms put forward by the Ukrainian government, but based on new political realities — inevitable. In other words, the failed summit sent a signal that the previous model of support has been exhausted and that the settlement process will proceed in a different configuration and with different actors," the Ukrainian MP explained.
Meanwhile, Dmitriev has visited the United States, not only to discuss resolving the Ukraine crisis. Following his trip in late October, he announced that arrangements were being made for a meeting between US congressmen and State Duma members. Among joint projects, the construction of a bridge between Russia and the United States across the Bering Strait was discussed. Naturally, bringing bilateral relations back to normal remains a pressing issue for the two countries. However, the US embassy in Russia told Izvestia that the two sides have yet to set a new meeting to discuss removing irritants.
Vedomosti: Experts weigh in on Putin’s statements from his Q&A session
At a news conference combined with a Q&A session on December 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed more than 70 topics. As last year, the Russian head of state focused on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, prospects for resolving it, and broader relations between Russia and the West.
Russia is ready to find a peaceful solution to end the Ukraine conflict based on the principles he outlined at a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry in the summer of 2024, provided the root causes of the crisis are eliminated, Putin emphasized. Even as the current Ukrainian leadership does not look ready for talks yet, the Russian leader stressed that information about "certain signals" showing Kiev’s willingness to maintain "at least any dialogue" has emerged. According to Putin, since the Kursk Region has been liberated, Moscow fully retains the strategic initiative. The president also promised not to launch any new special military operations, provided Western countries treat Russia with respect.
There is still room for continued talks between Russia, the West, and Ukraine, Valdai International Discussion Club Program Director Timofey Bordachev told Vedomosti, even as the process is unlikely to be dynamic or produce any results next year. On the one hand, leading European countries are trying to find their niche in the evolving architecture of global security by fueling Kiev and provoking new, potentially explosive crises. On the other hand, the United States is seeking to shape the parameters of its relations with Moscow at the expense of the Ukraine crisis, the expert said.
Against this background, EU countries will continue to support Kiev so that the latter can confront Russia, Bordachev continued. "European countries and Ukraine see no potential benefits from ending the hostilities. The more costs they incur from continued fighting, the sooner the crisis can be resolved. Therefore, Russia will have to continue its offensive," he argued.
Ivan Skorikov, head of the Ukraine Department at the Institute of CIS Studies, ruled out the possibility of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine next year. According to him, with support from European countries, Kiev is seeking to delay the negotiation process by putting forward terms that cannot be met or that do not correlate with the situation on the front line in order to buy time. The situation may change if the Trump administration puts serious pressure on Europe and the Ukrainian leadership or depending on the pace of the Russian offensive, the expert believes. Alternatively, the rise of Eurosceptic center-right parties advocating canceling support for Kiev in European countries may affect Ukraine’s ability to resist, the political analyst added.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Israel raises alarm about nuclear rebuilding in Iran
Israel is preparing to present proposals on delivering additional strikes against Iran to the administration of US President Donald Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to discuss them during a visit to the US leader’s Mar-a-Lago estate later this month. The Jewish state is concerned about the pace of Iran reviving its nuclear program and rapidly rebuilding its arsenal of ballistic missiles. Iran itself is reportedly penciling in a repeat of the war.
Israel would like to brief the White House on scenarios for renewed attacks on Iran, sources told NBC. According to them, the Jewish state is concerned about the Islamic Republic rebuilding its uranium enrichment facilities, which were damaged in a 12-day war in June. The sources said Israeli officials believe that Iran is expanding its ballistic missile program and reviving its national air defense system, a scenario they find particularly disconcerting.
Recently, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, highlighted his country’s nuclear advances, saying the Islamic Republic had reached its nuclear capability threshold. He described building a nuclear bomb as "the easiest task." "Building a nuclear power plant that would require control of fuel level and reactivity is a more complicated and technically sophisticated process," he added.
Meanwhile, sources told the Iran International satellite channel that Western intelligence has recently recorded unusual activity by Iran’s Military Space Force, including equipment movements and operational coordination. The activity has involved Iranian forces using drones, missiles, and air defenses. According to the sources, this may be linked to unannounced maneuvers, but the scale of the actions is highly unusual. This prompted Western intelligence agencies to step up surveillance of the Islamic Republic’s activities.
Izvestia: EAEU’s economy sees a 13% increase despite external pressure
The share of settlements in national currencies between member countries has grown to 93%, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg on Sunday. The amount of mutual direct investment has exceeded $20 billion since the association began operations, and in 2020-2024 the combined GDP increased by 11% and is expected to rise by another 2% this year. Leaders also outlined challenges, with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pushing for decisive steps to reduce agricultural imports. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for removing remaining barriers in mutual trade. An increasing number of countries are seeking cooperation with the association, participants at the meeting noted.
The Belarusian leader, who chaired the event, observed that trade with multiple countries across Asia and Africa could strengthen the union and that the number of those willing to cooperate continues to grow. A free trade agreement with Iran has already entered into force, and similar agreements have been concluded with the UAE and Mongolia. Following the meeting, member countries signed an FTA with Indonesia.
The organization’s global posture is crucial in the context of strengthening it, Belarus’ top diplomat Maxim Ryzhenkov told Izvestia. "Signing agreements with other countries makes us and our allies in the Global South as well stronger. And we view the fact that a third agreement was signed during Belarus’ presidency as a clear success," he said.
"The organization is becoming a key venue that prevents the economic isolation of Russia. Most likely, withstanding sanctions pressure without well-established cooperation within the union would have been far more challenging," political analyst Dmitry Yelovsky told Izvestia.
Vedomosti: Russian gas exports to Central Asia may double by 2030
By 2030, Russian natural gas exports to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan may rise 2.1-2.2-fold from last year’s level to 19-20 billion cubic meters, estimates by analysts from Gazprombank’s Center for Economic Forecasting (CEF) show.
Azerbaijan may emerge as another promising export market for Russian natural gas in the former Soviet space, analysts say. According to their estimates, by 2030, Russian gas supplies to the country will amount to 3-4 billion cubic meters. At present, Russia exports an insignificant volume of natural gas to the republic, Vadim Pugach, an analyst at Gazprombank’s CEF, explained to Vedomosti.
Overall, gas exports to the four Central Asian countries may reach 22-24 billion cubic meters by 2030, a rise of 2.5-2.7-fold from last year’s volumes.
Finam analyst Sergey Kaufman recalled that the gas markets in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are both facing a situation where their economies are growing, while domestic gas production is insufficient to meet demand or keep up exports to China. Igor Yushkov from the Financial University under the Russian government agrees. According to him, Russia could supply 3-4 billion cubic meters to Azerbaijan if the republic increases fuel exports to the EU, a scenario that Kaufman, for one, finds likely if Gazprom stops gas exports to the European market. In that event, the Russian gas giant would supply gas for domestic consumption in Azerbaijan, while the republic would step up exports to the EU.
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