MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. NATO holds drills to rehearse Ukraine logistics and step up pressure on Russia; the US seeks Arab allies’ support for its agreement with Iran; and an earthquake consolidates the power of Venezuela’s new authorities. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Media: NATO drills practice Ukraine logistics, increase pressure on Russia

NATO’s Noble Blueprint 2026 exercise has begun in Romania. Officially held to work out a regional defense plan, the drills are being used to rehearse the rapid deployment of troops and the provision of logistical support on the Ukrainian axis, experts interviewed by Izvestia say, while also increasing military and political pressure on Russia.

NATO is deliberately keeping the details of the current drills secret, as official press releases contain no information on the exact number of troops or the equipment involved, using language that is as vague as possible. However, it is clear that these activities are directed solely against Russia, military expert Vasily Dandykin believes. "The Black Sea region, which was fully under our control during the Soviet era, has now turned into a zone of high political tension. Apart from the Odessa and Nikolayev coasts controlled by the Kiev regime, three NATO member states also have forces stationed there," he pointed out. "In fact, the drills are rehearsing direct combat operations against Russia. There is a high probability that what remains of the Ukrainian navy is also taking part in the exercise," Dandykin said.

Developments along Russia’s southern border are part of the West’s united and coordinated campaign of pressure, experts point out. NATO has been highly active everywhere, from the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland to the Mediterranean Sea, where illegal detentions of Russian civilian vessels have taken place. According to experts, such actions constitute a systemic demonstration of force, to which Russia always responds in a timely and firm manner.

Meanwhile, a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction is underway in Gdansk, Nezavisimaya Gazeta notes. The consolidated position of the West (the United States and its NATO allies) on the future of the Russia-Ukraine conflict became clear on the event’s opening day. Many participants spoke of a US-European consensus on the conflict and stressed that they viewed Ukraine as the winning side at this stage. According to Radmila Shekerinska, this is "a window of opportunity" that should be seized.

 

Izvestia: US seeks Arab allies’ support for Iran agreement

The Americans may persuade their Arab allies of the need to expand cooperation with NATO, said experts interviewed by Izvestia. This is why Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to the bloc’s summit scheduled to be held in Turkey on July 7-8. The Iran issue will be one of the key priorities.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio completed his tour of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain on June 25. It was the first visit by such a high-ranking US official since Washington and Tehran reached a framework agreement and halted military operations. Notably, the countries of the region had effectively been excluded from developing the agreement. They are now being asked to back the already prepared text and assume some of the associated risks. Experts believe that Rubio's main objective was to smooth the edges and create the appearance of a coherent position.

During his tour of the Middle East, Rubio sought to enhance the perception of a victory that cannot be described as unequivocal, said Prokhor Tebin, director of the Military and Economic Research Center at the Higher School of Economics.

"Since the issue of closer cooperation is being raised again, it means that at least the alliance is interested in pursuing it. Arab nations are highly likely to agree to greater cooperation, but not to the extent NATO would like, in my opinion," political scientist Yelena Suponina noted.

There are several reasons for them to exercise restraint. The monarchies value their diverse ties, which include China, Russia and other actors, and will not join programs that could complicate those relations. Regional differences must also be taken into account, as political restrictions on participation in some of the alliance's formats remain in effect in certain Arab countries, which they are not prepared to lift even for the sake of closer ties with NATO.

"NATO is actually going beyond its area of responsibility and it has long stopped making a secret of that," Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of European Issues, told the paper. "So far, no region has benefited from NATO presence," he stressed.

 

Media: Earthquake consolidates power of Venezuela’s new authorities

The Venezuelan authorities led by acting President Delcy Rodriguez have declared a state of emergency over a powerful earthquake that struck the country. In political terms, the natural disaster may postpone elections indefinitely, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

The United States has announced its readiness to assist Venezuela in dealing with the earthquake aftermath. In a situation where Washington has taken on the role of the Western Hemisphere’s leader, such an approach carries a political cost for its ambition to dominate the region. This is not just a gesture of goodwill but also a demonstration of a responsible attitude and a desire to safeguard investments.

The state of emergency triggered by the earthquake risks postponing the election of a new head of state, Andrey Pyatakov, leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Latin American Studies, noted. "Holding an extraordinary presidential election is a very challenging task for the current authorities. They will seek to keep the situation in limbo for as long as possible," he explained.

"If Washington found holding an election to be reasonable, I think a vote would be organized in a timely manner. However, the US is unlikely to issue such instructions anytime soon. Washington appears to be quite satisfied with where things stand now, while an election may only disrupt the existing balance and level of cooperation. The situation could spiral out of control if radical politicians came to power," Pyatakov emphasized.

Despite significant damage from the earthquake, the Venezuelan government will be able to address its aftermath, Viktor Kheifets, editor-in-chief of the Latin America magazine, told Vedomosti. In his opinion, the disaster is unlikely to lead to major changes in the country’s political, social and economic life. "Still, much will depend on Washington. So far, it does not seem to be willing to change horses midstream," the political scientist added.

 

Izvestia: Relations between Moscow, Washington remain stalled

A Russia visit by US Congress members, which was supposed to take place in June, has been postponed indefinitely, Izvestia has learned. US legislators have received an invitation to visit Moscow but have not yet responded to it. Experts are confident that communication between lawmakers is at an impasse due to the upcoming US congressional elections, because Republicans’ opponents may use them in their campaign.

Moreover, members of Congress have yet to establish a friendship group for ties with Russia’s parliament, although the parties agreed to do so at a meeting in March, when a delegation of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) visited the United States for the first time in 12 years, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Alexey Chepa told the newspaper. According to him, American lawmakers aren’t prepared to travel to Russia as they are currently focused primarily on the domestic political agenda, namely the November congressional elections.

However, the level of parliamentary contact should not be underestimated. Given their domestic lobbying capacity, Congress members are capable of significantly speeding up and strengthening efforts to secure intergovernmental agreements, Higher School of Economics analyst Yegor Toropov observed. In his view, such a communication channel could play an important role in future steps to resume full-scale economic and political cooperation.

Progress in bilateral Russia-US relations depends directly on the Ukraine crisis, political scientist Alexey Chernyayev pointed out. Following the Russia-US summit in Anchorage, Alaska, a series of talks between Moscow and Kiev was launched, involving US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-on-law Jared Kushner. As talks failed to produce results, the "spirit of Anchorage" started to fade. Today, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain stalled, while Washington has recently been focused on resolving the Iran issue.

The current impasse in relations between the two countries, including parliamentary dialogue, is likely to worsen if Democrats prevail over Republicans in the congressional elections. A thaw can only be expected once a comprehensive solution is found to the Ukraine conflict, which is far from being resolved.

 

Media: Experts see Apple move against Russia’s VK as retaliation over sovereignty

Apple has removed all mobile apps and services linked to Russia’s VK internet company from the App Store. Experts interviewed by Rossiyskaya Gazeta interpret the move as a form of retaliation against the Russian state, which is seeking to develop digital sovereignty infrastructure.

Since 2022, Apple has removed several thousand apps from the Russian App Store, largely citing sanctions and payment restrictions. In addition, some Western companies have opted to exit the Russian market.

"It is no longer about isolated cases, but a systemic policy of pressure on Russia’s digital space. First, banking apps were targeted, followed by government services, and now major domestic communication platforms. There must be more behind such actions than purely legal considerations. This looks more like an attempt to use technological dominance as an instrument of political influence," Russian lawmaker Anton Nemkin noted.

Yekaterina Sokolova, digital and IT law partner at Lemchik, Krupsky and Partners, told RBC that the removal of VK apps from the App Store was "another link in the chain of consistent technological deglobalization efforts."

"These developments fit within the United States’ Pax Silica initiative (a technology and economic coalition initiated by the US Department of State in December 2025 that brings together the US, EU countries and others - RBC), which is based on the idea of control over global digital infrastructure, where access to technological platforms becomes a foreign policy tool. App stores, operating systems and payment systems form a new domain where sovereignty is defined by those who own the infrastructure and set the rules of access," she emphasized.

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