MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China issue a joint statement following talks in Beijing, and the UN is getting weary of the Ukraine agenda. Meanwhile, US leader Donald Trump is facing a GOP rebellion. These stories topped Thursday's headlines in Russia.
Vedomosti: Putin, Xi address situations in Middle East, Ukraine in joint statement
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up his official two-day visit to China. He and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, issued a joint statement on strengthening comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and the Joint Declaration on the Emergence of a Multipolar World and a New Type of International Relations. In the statement, the two leaders condemned provocative actions of some nuclear powers against others, called for removing the root causes of the Ukraine crisis, and expressed the position of China and Russia that the US and Israeli strikes on Iran undermine stability in the Middle East.
The goal of Putin’s visit to Beijing was mostly to synchronize watches and align positions on international issues: the two leaders do so every year as they meet, Anna Kireyeva, senior researcher at the Center for Advanced American Studies at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University), told Vedomosti.
The joint statement from the two leaders primarily reflects a very high degree of convergence of views on processes currently taking place globally, said Alexander Lomanov, Head of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations. This is how Russia expresses its support for China’s key global initiatives, while mutual support is becoming increasingly apparent and tangible. For example, Moscow’s view on Eurasian security is aligned with Chinese projects. As a result, Russia and China are ready for closer coordination in resolving global and regional issues.
As regards the visit itself, it was "absolutely necessary" for formal reasons and is a symbolic political event, as the sides need to extend the Russian-Chinese Treaty on Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation that Putin signed with the then Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in 2001 every five years, Lomanov explained.
Extending the treaty gives a major incentive to review how the relationship between Russia and China has been evolving. Also, the expert added, the fact that Russia and China can formulate their attitude to the US policy course and security issues remains important.
Izvestia: UN getting weary of debating Ukraine
There is Ukraine-weariness at the United Nations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov told Izvestia. According to the senior Russian diplomat, this is the case at key venues of the global body, including the Security Council and the General Assembly. How this agenda is being pushed and unjustifiably promoted only causes increasing misunderstanding in the UN. At the same time, the Ukrainian settlement has actually stalled. The expert community believes that falling attention to Kiev at the UN can hardly prompt Ukraine to search more actively for ways to resolve the conflict.
"Whatever the sentiments at the United Nations are, they reflect the sentiments of the world community," former UN Deputy Secretary-General Sergey Ordzhonikidze told Izvestia. "If at the early stages the Ukraine issue was hyped up the most (at the West’s initiative), now there is nothing to hype up," he explained.
Ukraine and the EU have maintained pressure on Russia at the UN by regularly initiating anti-Russian resolutions at the GA as they also hold thematic sessions at the UN SC: the last such meeting took place on May 19 at Kiev’s initiative. The three Baltic states, Poland, France, and Germany have been most active participants here.
Valdai club expert Andrey Kortunov noted that Kiev has used the UN exclusively as a platform for information and propaganda. However, the analyst emphasized, keeping the focus on one conflict, now in its fifth year, is quite difficult, so the effectiveness of this work will inevitably decline. At the same time, keeping the Ukraine issue in the UN's focus will also depend on who is elected the new Secretary-General later in 2026. The current UN chief, Antonio Guterres, for one, has visited Ukraine three times since the special military operation was launched.
Experts interviewed by Izvestia argue that a decrease in attention to Ukraine at the UN and other international venues can hardly serve as a strong incentive to look for ways to resolve the conflict, for Kiev does not consider the UN to be an influential organization. In addition, Ukraine continues to receive financial assistance from Western countries. The EU is planning to make the first disbursement from the €90 billion loan to Kiev as early as next month.
Meanwhile, Russia-Ukraine talks with US mediation have stalled. While the situation can soon change as Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov announced that US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia in the coming weeks, the United States has been focused on resolving the conflict with Iran. And Ukraine has rejected any compromises on land. Earlier, Russia said it has not so far received any indications from Kiev regarding its readiness for another round of talks to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
Vedomosti: Could Trump escape GOP rebellion?
On Tuesday night, the US Senate advanced a resolution to end the war in Iran after seven attempts to do so failed, despite the Republican majority there, in an effort to curb Trump’s war powers. For the document to be approved, it must pass the Republican-led House. Even if it happens, Trump is sure to use his veto which will be impossible to overturn. Even if approved by the Senate, the resolution does not pose any threat to Trump’s war powers, however it may signal constant attempts at sabotage from his dissatisfied GOP members.
Whether it was because of the defeat in the primaries or the decision not to seek re-election, a new configuration of intra-party opposition has formed in Congress, uniting lame ducks and legislators without any electoral prospects, Polina Shabrova, a junior researcher at the Center for North American Studies of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS), explained to Vedomosti. Their `there-is-nothing-to-lose’ sentiment transforms this diverse group into a situational parliamentary force. "Freed from the need to coordinate their position with party leadership ahead of the election, these congressmen and senators have built a bloc that is ready for tactical cooperation with Democrats," the analyst noted.
While the agendas of Trump and the absolute Republican majority nearly coincide, some of his initiatives can still cause opposition, as has been the case several times already, said Vadim Kozlov, head of the Domestic Politics Research Department at the US and Canadian Studies Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to the expert, outgoing Republicans may target any budget bills, particularly those proposed by the administration, especially related to social expenditure and foreign aid programs.
Or else Republican lame ducks may target the SAVE America Act, a proposed law that Trump and his administration have been trying to advance in Congress before the midterms, Shabrova added. "Disunity at the GOP plays into Democrats’ hands, with Republicans being forced to spend millions on wars inside their own party, instead of consolidating resources against a common opponent," she concluded.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Experts weigh in on potential US-Iran oil agreement
The United States is considering halting the sanctions on Iranian oil exports, albeit for the duration of talks only. Meanwhile Tehran insists that all restrictions be lifted immediately, but Washington will be ready to take this step only after a final agreement has been signed, Tasnim news agency reported, citing a source.
Valery Andrianov, an associate professor at the Russian Financial University under the Russian government, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that the scenario of a US-Iran oil deal is quite likely as part of a broader deal between Washington and Tehran. An end to the hostilities will likely be conditioned on the Islamic Republic reopening the Hormuz Strait for tankers and the US lifting restrictions on the Iranian oil industry. Trump will perhaps present himself as the savior of the world economy from an imminent energy crisis. Also, with elections to the US Congress looming, he needs to put US gasoline prices lower as soon as possible.
Vladimir Chernov, an analyst at Freedom Finance Global, holds a similar view. An oil deal is possible but rather as part of a broader package, not as a one-time and complete lifting of all sanctions, he argued. Oil sanctions on Iran can become a bargaining chip for the US, if Tehran meets it halfway on two key issues, one being uranium and the boundaries of its nuclear deal and the other being guarantees of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for tankers. This may actually imply "partial lifting of oil sanctions in exchange for de-escalation," he explained.
Nikolay Dudchenko, an analyst at Finam, doubts that such a deal can be possible because of the US stance. Such a move is seen as somewhat strange from the military point of view, for the US blocked the Hormuz Strait to cut off Iranian oil supplies and deprive the enemy of the ability to finance the hostilities. Therefore, suspending the sanctions, it seems, may prolong the conflict. The two countries’ official positions do not appear compatible, even as the move to temporarily lift restrictions on Iranian oil exports could mark a step toward easing tensions on the oil market and in the talks, the expert said.
Kommersant: Ruble becomes growth leader among EM currencies
The OTC dollar exchange rate dropped below 70 rubles per $1 for the first time since January 2023, with the ruble steadily strengthening against major global currencies since the start of 2026. This largely comes amid the oversupply of export revenues on the Russian market and low demand for the currency domestically. Windfall oil and gas revenues may reach 330 billion rubles ($4.7 billion) in May.
The ruble became the growth leader among EM currencies. According to Bloomberg, since early 2026, the Russian currency strengthened against USD by 18.4%, followed by the Argentinian peso with 16.7% and the Brazilian real (+14.1%). These currencies have grown amid rising oil prices and demand for carry trade operations in currencies with high real rates. "Brazil looks like a top pick, with its raw materials exports, a relatively hawkish central bank, and a high interest rate of 14.5%, while the national currency is still quite cheap," Alyona Nikolayeva, an independent portfolio manager for global markets, told Kommersant.
Due to the isolation of the Russian market, the CBR’s high key rate has not driven an inflow of international capital. So, the current ruble strengthening has been mostly underpinned by currency sales by exporters whose revenues have increased against the backdrop of a spike in commodity prices, mostly oil.
At the same time, experts do not expect any significant changes in the currency market, as the current ruble strengthening reflects the real situation between currency supply and demand. According to Mikhail Vasilyev, chief analyst at Sovcombank, the Finance Ministry will raise foreign currency purchases from the current 1.2 billion rubles ($16.8 mln) to 12 billion rubles ($168 mln) per day. Such purchases "will rather curb the ruble strengthening than weaken it," the expert believes. He estimates that the dollar will hover between 70-76 rubles in June, but there remains a risk of the exchange rate shifting to the range of 65-70 rubles/$1 if the situation in the Middle East worsens and commodity prices surge again, he warned.
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