MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Russia stands ready for dialogue with the US on a new strategic arms reduction treaty; still no end in sight to the Middle East war; and the Iran conflict may affect North Korea’s policies. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Izvestia: Russia stands ready for dialogue with US on new strategic weapons treaty

Moscow is open to resuming arms control talks despite Washington’s refusal to extend the main parameters of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for a year, Gennady Gatilov, Russian permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, told Izvestia. However, in his words, there are currently no military, political and strategic conditions for launching consultations on the issue.

Gatilov emphasized that if multilateral negotiations began, Russia is adamant that the United Kingdom and France join the process as US allies with significant nuclear capabilities. "We believe this is the right approach because these countries plan to quantitatively increase their nuclear arsenals," the diplomat noted.

Russia is wisely looking to mitigate risk, Dmitry Stefanovich, researcher with the Center for International Security at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, believes. However, growing cooperation between these countries in the field of nuclear deterrence is forcing Moscow to respond appropriately in both nuclear and non-nuclear areas. In Stefanovich’s view, the likelihood of a multilateral agreement involving all five nuclear-weapon states is extremely low today due to the overall political situation and also because it’s technically difficult to cover mismatched strategic arsenals, which differ in both size and type.

Beijing is not planning to join Russia-US talks on the matter at this point, Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui told Izvestia. According to him, Beijing has a limited number of nuclear weapons, which are intended solely for self-defense.

Vasily Klimov, researcher with the Center for International Security at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, points out that if there is enough political will, Russia and the US should continue dialogue on nuclear weapons control. These negotiations could later address the capabilities of other Nuclear Five countries, although it is not yet clear how that would be done.

 

Media: Still no end in sight to Middle East war

Washington will suspend strikes on Iran’s energy facilities for five days following successful talks, US President Donald Trump said shortly before his previously stated 48-hour ultimatum expired. He had threatened to bomb Iranian power stations if Tehran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, Vedomosti notes.

According to Trump, the two countries held productive talks and will continue dialogue this week. However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied that any talks were held. He said that Trump had made the statement in order to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans.

The White House is clearly searching for a way to break the Middle East deadlock, and by suspending its ultimatum, it is sending a message to Tehran, calling for a relaunch of dialogue, American studies expert Malek Dudakov points out. Washington is pivoting to diplomacy because the US and Israel have largely run out of weapons, he argues. Besides, Trump is wary that oil and gasoline prices will continue to grow, further hurting his approval rating. "The Americans seek to persuade Tehran to make compromises in potential talks. It’s another thing that the Iranian authorities will hardly be willing to do so at this point," the expert noted.

"By making such statements, Trump is trying to contain oil and gas prices, which have risen considerably since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Initially, it looks like this tactic worked, as prices dropped slightly after Trump made his remarks about talks, Middle East expert Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia.

Roman Yanushevsky, editor-in-chief of Israel’s Channel 9 website, believes that a pause in strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure does not mean an end to the conflict but it could be a starting point for talks. According to him, "a potential suspension of military operations against Iran is about to appear on the horizon," but it is too early to talk about a full-scale solution to the conflict.

 

Izvestia: How Iran war is affecting North Korea’s policies

With Kim Jong Un being re-elected as chairman of North Korea’s State Affairs Commission, it’s clear that the country will continue to pursue the course its leader has outlined over the past 15 years, Alexandra Zuyeva, an expert with the Higher School of Economics’ Institute for Global Military Economics and Strategy, writes in an op-ed for Izvestia.

North Korea sees what the United States’ hostile policy towards Iran has led to, and is strengthening the nation’s military capabilities, both in terms of nuclear and conventional weapons, Zuyeva notes. According to her, a resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang looks unlikely at the moment because Iran is one of North Korea’s key partners.

North Korea no longer views talks with the US as a way to get out of international isolation, the expert emphasizes. Pyongyang now enters negotiations and new alliances purely in its interests, on its terms, not with the underlying goal of getting out of pariah-land. Now that the country’s nuclear deterrence forces have been built up significantly, it can reasonably take this position, and even the United States has to respect that.

Meanwhile, North Korea is looking to ally closer with Russia, Zuyeva points out. By supporting Moscow in its special military operation, Pyongyang sent a message to the international community - that it is capable of not only receiving support from larger powers but also of providing assistance to its allies.

 

Vedomosti: Analysts weigh in on gold's recent decline

The price of gold on global markets has dropped to its lowest level since late 2025. The rates have fallen by about 22% since the conflict in the Middle East broke out on February 28, Vedomosti notes.

US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he’s suspending strikes on Iran’s power stations led to gold tumbling from $4,500 per troy ounce to $4,100 in minutes, Yelena Nefyodova, head of the Astero Falcon investment office, pointed out. Gold prices are driven by uncertainty and uncertainty has not decreased - it’s just that the question now is not ‘will there be war?’ but ‘will there be peace, and on what terms, or will Trump perhaps cancel it all tomorrow morning?,’ the expert elaborated.

Gold prices are highly volatile, reflecting changes in risk appetites on global markets, Alexey Mikheyev, investment strategist at VTB My Investment, noted. However, speculative demand has caused the price of gold to diverge from fundamentally justified levels in recent months, turning gold from a safe haven into a speculative asset.

The previous growth of gold prices was indeed speculative, Lyudmila Rokotyanskaya, stock market expert at BCS World of Investment, agrees. Such an increase is always followed by a decline. That said, the current gold price drop is the result of the overheating that was recorded at the beginning of the year and a potential outflow of liquidity to the oil futures market.

Still, the current decrease in the price of the precious metal does not indicate a change in the long-term trend, Nefyodova stressed. Fundamental factors continue to keep gold prices above $4,000 per troy ounce, and any decline will be offset by purchases until significant changes take place in terms of the global agenda and the macroeconomic situation.

 

Kommersant: Price of Russian coking coal shoots up 5% in a week

The price of Russian semi-hard metallurgical coal at ports rose by about 5% in one week by mid-March. However, it may not be easy for Russian companies to increase exports because importers have become more cautious about new deals due to an increase in freight prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East, Kommersant reports.

India's growing demand is the main driver behind the price rise, NEFT Research analysts point out. In January, India raised Russian coking coal imports by 63% year-on-year. This was the highest increase among major coal suppliers, putting Russia second behind only Australia in terms of volumes.

This has also led to a significant decline in discounts on Russian coal, Alexander Kotov, consulting partner at NEFT Research, noted. According to him, hard coal types are largely in demand on the global market, and Russian coal is popular due to its high quality and flexible prices.

Ahmed Aliyev, senior analyst at T Investment, says that growing steel prices in China, stemming from a seasonal surge in domestic demand, are another reason why coal prices are on the rise. According to the expert, what may further support prices is Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which has affected the Australian state of Queensland, where most of the country’s coking coal is produced.

However, Russian coal producers may find it difficult to increase exports at this point. Oleg Yemelchenkov, junior corporate rating director at Expert RA, notes that competition for the Indian market with the US and Australia, sanctions, and rising logistics costs, which have increased recently due to tensions in the Middle East, are restricting Russia’s export potential.

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