MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. Russia says Iran has not responded to its uranium removal proposal as Tehran focuses on ending the war with the US; the White House is reportedly preparing a new economic pressure campaign on Cuba aimed at destabilizing the government; and the freeze in Arctic cooperation with Russia is disrupting climate forecasting and regional navigation. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Izvestia: Russia awaits reply on Iranian uranium as Tehran prioritizes ending conflict with US

The Russian side has still not received a response regarding the removal of enriched uranium from Iran, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev told Izvestia. According to him, Russia has conveyed its position to the interested parties. However, Tehran is currently not prepared to discuss the matter. For now, the main issue on the agenda is ending the conflict with the United States, Iranian Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri-Kani said. Although media reports indicate that the sides are close to reaching an agreement on a 60-day ceasefire and launching negotiations on the nuclear program, the United States and Iran continue to exchange strikes.

"I can say that, for now, the issue on the agenda is ending the war. Regarding other matters, including the removal of the material, we are not discussing them," Iranian Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri-Kani told Izvestia. "We began negotiations a long time ago. Their outcome depends on the seriousness of the Americans’ intentions and their sense of responsibility," he added.

In April, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev stated that the company was ready to remove enriched uranium, emphasizing that the issue remains key in negotiations between the United States and Russia. However, the interested parties have not responded to the Russian proposal, Likhachev told Izvestia. "We conveyed our position to them, but there has been no response," he said.

Meanwhile, Trump’s statements that Washington does not intend to ease the sanctions regime in exchange for Iran abandoning enriched uranium effectively confirm the continuation of a hardline policy toward Tehran.

Ivan Bocharov, program manager at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), noted that Iran has largely adapted to operating under sanctions and continues its economic development, although growth rates remain significantly below potential levels. "The lifting of sanctions is of fundamental importance for the Iranian leadership, and Tehran is unlikely to view the situation as normalized until all restrictions are fully removed," the expert told Izvestia.

On May 28, Axios reported that the United States and Iran had reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding envisaging the extension of the ceasefire regime and the launch of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. However, the document has not yet received final approval from President Donald Trump.

 

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: White House plans economic pressure drive to topple Cuba’s government

During a Cabinet meeting at the White House, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that "Cuba is in a lot of trouble." According to the top US diplomat, the reason lies in the country’s own government. Nevertheless, it is not the Cubans themselves who are intensifying economic pressure on the island. Axios news portal reported that the White House is developing further plans to suffocate the Cuban regime economically and is preparing for the possible overthrow of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, which could happen as early as the summer of 2026. Experts interviewed by Nezavisimaya Gazeta believe Washington is primarily waging an economic pressure campaign against Cuba rather than preparing for direct military intervention, as any potential operation against the island would likely be difficult and violent.

Axios, citing officials within the Trump administration, reported that Washington intends to weaken the Cuban regime through economic sanctions by gradually depriving the island of access to any resources. For now, there is no urgency: the American president is focused on negotiations with Iran, allowing the White House additional time to develop new pressure tools. American officials noted that overthrowing the regime without direct US military intervention would be far preferable. However, Washington is also preparing for a scenario in which the island descends into chaos and American troops would have to land there. Overall, the expectation in Washington is to "crush" the Cuban government in the near future -- this summer.

US actions are part of Washington’s broader economic pressure strategy against Havana, Nikolay Kalashnikov, adviser to the director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Latin America, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

"I believe there will be no armed action against Cuba by the United States. The accusations brought against Raul Castro are an element of military pressure. But this military pressure itself is part of the economic strangulation of Cuba," the expert explained.

Kalashnikov added that regardless of whether the Cuban authorities take the American threat of military intervention seriously, it nevertheless requires a response.

"Therefore, all US actions are an element of economic warfare. But it should be kept in mind that while Maduro was protected by 32 Cubans, Raul Castro is protected by a 50,000-strong Cuban army. Nothing similar to what happened in Venezuela can happen in Cuba," Kalashnikov said. In the expert’s opinion, if the United States does decide on an operation, it would be bloody.

 

Izvestia: Breakdown in Arctic cooperation with Russia disrupts climate forecasting, regional navigation

The refusal to cooperate with Russia within the Arctic Council is jeopardizing maritime safety, including along the Northern Sea Route. The loss of data from Russian stations is making accurate climate forecasting impossible. In addition, without Russia’s icebreaker fleet, full-scale Arctic development cannot be achieved, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. It is specifically in the West that researchers are increasingly voicing concerns over growing inaccuracies in forecasting. According to their estimates, the margin of error could reach 10-15%, comparable to the loss of 80 years of observations.

"It is precisely in the West that we increasingly hear experts saying that without updated monitoring data from Russia, building accurate forecasting models in the Arctic is becoming an ever more difficult task. This is understandable. The Russian Federation possesses the world’s largest Arctic territory by area, and our scientists have accumulated truly unique research experience, while we also have the most advanced technological developments," Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of European Problems and Russia’s Senior Arctic Official at the Arctic Council, told Izvestia.

The issue goes beyond climate alone and concerns scientific progress in general, which Western countries are effectively blocking with their own actions. "No one except Russia has a nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet, and without icebreakers, as is well known, full-scale Arctic development is impossible," Maslennikov emphasized.

As a result, data from Russian stations are now inaccessible to the international community, Sergey Soldatenko, head of the Polar Climate and Meteorology Department at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, told Izvestia.

The absence of a full-scale exchange of scientific data between Russian and foreign scientists has made it more difficult to study and forecast many natural and climate-related processes. These include ice conditions and the pace of such changes. Moreover, this complicates forecasting not only in the Arctic but also in more southern regions, since high-latitude processes have global effects, Nikita Lipunov, junior researcher at MGIMO University’s Institute for International Studies, told Izvestia.

"This affects forecasting of extreme events -- droughts, floods, and even wildfires -- as well as planning work on the modernization and construction of coastal infrastructure in Europe, which is critical for ports, oil and gas facilities, and flood protection in Northern Europe. In addition, it complicates navigation along the Northern Sea Route, increasing risks for shipping, including accidents, delays, and insurance costs," Sergey Soldatenko explained.

 

Vedomosti: Trump backs Armenia’s TRIPP corridor project as US seeks greater influence in South Caucasus

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is a major friend of the United States and enjoys the full support of President Donald Trump ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections, Trump said on the Truth Social platform. The White House leader’s message of support was published two days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Armenia, where he took part in the initialing and signing of three documents, including a framework agreement on strategic partnership within the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project. Experts interviewed by Vedomosti believe the US-backed TRIPP project is aimed not only at advancing economic interests but also at reducing Russian and Iranian influence in the South Caucasus.

According to Trump, TRIPP will transform the South Caucasus and help American energy companies gain access to Central Asia. Shortly before that, on May 27, Pashinyan announced plans to build a transit gas pipeline through Armenian territory.

The TRIPP project has remained at the conceptual stage since its announcement, with its exact cost, participants, and sources of financing still undefined, Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan told Vedomosti. In addition to serving economic interests, the project is intended to reduce the roles of Russia and Iran in the South Caucasus, Sergey Melkonyan, researcher at Armenia’s Institute of Applied Policy Studies, stressed. However, the political analyst did not rule out the possibility that the Armenian leadership could abandon the project if the opposition comes to power and concludes that it does not align with the country’s national interests.

US interest in the South Caucasus, and Armenia in particular, is not long-term in nature, Iskandaryan continued. According to him, Washington’s current attention to the region is driven by developments in neighboring Iran. In addition, the political analyst said that in the context of the approaching US midterm congressional elections, Armenia represents, from Trump’s perspective, one of the successful foreign policy cases that he will likely seek to promote to American voters.

The United States does have a long-term interest in Armenia, although the region as a whole is not a central focus of Washington’s foreign policy, Melkonyan clarified. According to the expert, the importance of the South Caucasus for the United States is determined by competition with Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

 

Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Russia’s seaborne oil exports hit yearly high as supplies to India surge amid Middle East crisis

Russia’s seaborne oil exports over the past four weeks have reached their highest level since the beginning of the year, averaging 3.66 mln barrels per day. During the first and last weeks of that period, shipments reached 3.84 mln and 3.83 mln barrels per day, respectively, according to Bloomberg data. Russian oil exports by sea exceeded these levels only for a couple of weeks in March, when the market experienced its first shockwave following the outbreak of the Middle East crisis. According to experts polled by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the rise in Russian oil exports is driven mainly by the recovery of export facilities rather than by reduced domestic refining activity caused by refinery maintenance outages.

India became the main destination for supplies, receiving 1.85 mln barrels per day by sea. Compared with February, supplies to India increased by 70%. This was hardly surprising given the temporary lifting of US sanctions on buyers of Russian oil and interruptions in crude supplies from Persian Gulf countries.

China ranked second, remaining the largest importer of Russian oil overall when pipeline deliveries are included. Smaller volumes were also shipped by sea to Turkey and other countries. Turkey, however, reduced purchases by 15% despite the Middle East crisis. Bloomberg believes this was due to rising prices and shrinking discounts on Russian oil.

The increase in export supplies may be linked to unplanned maintenance shutdowns at Russian oil refineries and declining production volumes of automotive and aviation fuel within the country, the newspaper writes. At present, Russia maintains only a ban on gasoline exports.

Valery Andrianov, associate professor at the Financial University under the Russian government, did not rule out the possibility that lower refinery throughput has influenced oil exports in comments to Rossiyskaya Gazeta. However, he believes the role of this factor is unlikely to be significant. According to the expert, the rise in exports is primarily due to the restoration of export facilities following drone attacks. In his view, exports are simply returning to previous levels rather than taking market share away from domestic refining.

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