MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Putin and Trump assessed Ukraine diplomacy as Washington seeks to keep renewed talks on course; Canada is intensifying its tariff fight with the US despite being more exposed to the economic fallout; and Spain’s claims of Russian involvement in the Ceuta crisis are coming under scrutiny as the situation continues. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Media: Putin, Trump assess Ukraine diplomacy as US seeks to maintain momentum

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed the results of US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s weekend visits to Moscow and Kiev during a telephone call on September 8. The conversation was conducted in a "mutually respectful and businesslike manner" and lasted one hour, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said. The Kremlin described the conversation between the two leaders as "constructive and very candid" and rated the US envoys’ visit to the Russian capital "positively." Experts see the Putin-Trump call as a sign of renewed diplomatic momentum and US efforts to rebuild trust, but caution that major differences remain.

The call was a logical continuation of Kushner and Witkoff’s recent diplomatic tour, Pavel Koshkin, senior research fellow at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Vedomosti. According to him, the United States is intensifying the diplomatic process to show the seriousness of its intentions and is seeking to rebuild trust that was shaken over the past summer.

"The current positive momentum should not be discounted, although it offers no guarantees. For now, however, there are grounds to believe that there is political will for dialogue. Whether there is political will to make concessions is another question," Koshkin emphasized.

The conversation now represents an effort to compare notes following a full round of negotiations with all parties, senior research fellow at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University Vladimir Pavlov believes. "It was also certainly conducted with the situation ‘on the ground’ in mind, as well as Washington’s maneuvering in connection with the situation involving Iran and the approaching US midterm elections, where the administration needs to have something to show," the expert told Vedomosti.

According to Georgy Asatryan, expert at HSE University, a telephone conversation between the leaders of the world’s largest nuclear powers is a positive development under the current circumstances.

Asatryan described the "minimum objective" as "keeping the United States as far as possible from becoming deeply involved in the Ukrainian conflict." "As long as this objective is being achieved, we can speak of a certain degree of diplomatic progress," Georgy Asatryan told Kommersant.

At the same time, he added that the situation remains extremely difficult and there is little reason for optimism. "There is another actor in the conflict -- the European Union. Like Kiev, it is waiting for a return to the system that existed under Democrat Biden," the Kommersant source explained. "So for now, military operations remain the only option. Diplomacy is necessary, however. Conveying the realities on the ground and keeping Atlantic solidarity under strain are key elements of this process," he concluded.

 

Vedomosti: Canada hits back at US tariffs but remains more exposed to trade war

Starting September 8, Canada will impose tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on a total of $27.6 bln worth of US goods in 629 categories, according to the Canadian Finance Ministry’s website. The ministry also emphasized that the government will allocate $7.5 bln to support workers and businesses affected by the 50% US tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed on some Canadian exports to the United States on August 22. Experts interviewed by Vedomosti believe the US is better positioned to withstand the trade war because of its larger, more diversified economy, while Canada faces greater risks from its export dependence and potential pressure on its key automotive industry.

The United States has greater resilience because the US economy remains one of the world’s leading economies, is more diversified and is several times larger than Canada’s, US affairs expert Pavel Koshkin told the newspaper. At the same time, he emphasized that a political factor is working against Washington, namely the reputational costs for Republicans stemming from rising inflation amid the trade war. "However, the Trump administration may find ways to reduce these risks. So overall, the United States is in a stronger position. America is on the offensive -- Canada is defending itself," the expert emphasized.

Canada’s economy is export-oriented, chief research fellow at the Department of Canada at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Elena Komkova emphasized. At the same time, the expert noted that, despite Trump’s statements, the US tariffs introduced so far have in practice affected only a small portion of Canadian exports. However, the situation could now change, Komkova stressed. "Given that the automotive industry is the second most important sector of the Canadian economy after energy, pressure on it poses a serious threat to the Canadian economy, the scale of which has yet to be determined," the expert said.

The trade war is having opposite effects on the approval ratings - public support for the Canadian PM is rising, while the US president’s approval rating is declining. According to a Spark Insights report, Mark Carney’s approval rating among Canadians stands at 70%. By comparison, Donald Trump’s overall aggregated approval rating among Americans is 39.7%, according to Real Clear Politics (RCP) -- one of its lowest levels since he returned to the White House in January 2025.

 

Izvestia: Ceuta crisis puts Spain’s claims of Russian interference under scrutiny

The head of Ceuta and Spain’s foreign minister traveled to Brussels to seek EU assistance in tackling the migration crisis. The situation escalated a month ago following a mass breach of the border, and the organizers of the incident have yet to be identified. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez previously said that, ahead of the breach, accounts allegedly linked to Russia and Israel had spread disinformation online. Spanish intelligence services have not confirmed this version of events. Javier Celaya Brey, a member of Congress representing Ceuta, told Izvestia that the government should provide clear evidence of foreign involvement. In his view, Madrid will have to reconsider its conclusions if reports of Moroccan security forces’ involvement in the border breach are verified.

"I have no doubt that the Israeli government is pleased with the crisis in Ceuta that Sanchez is facing because of the socialist government’s pro-Palestinian stance, but that does not mean it was involved in what happened in any way. As for Russia, I do not see what it could gain from interfering in the crisis in Ceuta, since both Morocco and Spain are US allies. Although it could have an interest in destabilizing an EU member state," the lawmaker said.

Stanislav Tkachenko, professor at the Department of European Studies at St. Petersburg State University, told Izvestia he believes that accusations against Russia and Israel are helping Sanchez shift attention away from shortcomings in migration policy and toward external actors. According to him, among Europe’s left-wing political forces, these countries have traditionally been perceived as states whose policies differ from approaches generally accepted in the EU, making them convenient targets for criticism in times of crisis.

For Ceuta itself, the debate over who is to blame has taken a back seat. The crisis remains unresolved, and the authorities still have no clear plan of action. Meanwhile, the longer the situation drags on, the more Sanchez’s position within Spain is weakened, the newspaper writes.

 

Vedomosti: Global diamond output to remain subdued as producers grapple with weak prices

Global diamond production is expected to remain below 100 mln carats annually over the next five to six years, head of corporate finance at Alrosa Sergey Takhiev said in an interview with analytics firm Euler. According to Alrosa estimates, 98-100 mln carats of diamonds were mined in 2025. The company forecasts that production could drop to 90-95 mln carats in 2026. Experts surveyed by Vedomosti agree that global diamond production will not exceed 100 mln carats in the coming years. They also expect output to fall further in 2026.

According to the Kimberley Process, an organization comprising diamond-producing and diamond-importing countries, global diamond production fell 8% year-on-year in 2025 to 98.8 mln carats. This was the lowest figure since the organization began maintaining records in 2004.

Diamond production in Russia fell 16% in 2025 to 31.5 mln carats, according to the organization. Russia nevertheless retained its position as the world’s largest diamond producer and ranked third in exports after the United Arab Emirates and the European Union, which re-export diamonds mined in other countries.

Diamond producers are reducing output amid low market prices, Takhiev noted. As Vedomosti previously reported, global prices for rough and polished diamonds have been declining since 2022 due to the accumulation of substantial gemstone inventories in India in 2021-2022. India accounts for up to 90% of the global diamond-cutting market.

The depletion of excess inventories and lower production will support higher prices for rough and polished diamonds, Takhiev said. The price of diamond imports into India has been rising since March, he noted. The expert added that prices on the global rough and polished diamond market can rise very quickly. For example, gemstone prices increased by 80% in 2020-2023.

Existing diamond deposits are being depleted, while there are effectively no new commercially viable projects in the industry, according to Boris Krasnozhenov, head of the investment and industry analysis directorate, and Dmitry Baranov, a leading expert at Finam Management. At the same time, the growing popularity of lab-grown diamonds is having a negative impact on demand for natural diamonds and, consequently, on their production, an analyst at BCS World of Investments Nikolay Maslikov added.

 

Kommersant: Brent could top $100 as Middle East tensions add to oil supply risks

The price of Brent crude has approached $100 per barrel for the first time in a month and a half. Since the beginning of the month, prices have risen by almost 10% amid reciprocal strikes by the United States and Iran, as well as a Houthi attack on Saudi Arabian energy facilities. Market participants believe prices could return to the $100-120-per-barrel range only if the conflict in the Middle East escalates further, Kommersant writes.

Analysts estimate that the current geopolitical premium in the price of Brent crude stands at $15-25 per barrel. Investment banker Ilya Sushkov noted that Goldman Sachs estimated the fundamentally justified price at around $80 per barrel in August. "Part of the premium already reflects an actual reduction in supplies, rather than merely fears of further escalation," he said. A decline in Russian petroleum product exports is also contributing to the premium.

At the same time, market participants noted that the market is not experiencing the kind of shock it faced in the spring following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is why prices are "in no hurry" to surpass the $100-per-barrel threshold. The relative stability of prices is due to the market and logistics having adapted to the hostilities and restrictions on traffic through the strait. "Alternative export routes, shuttle shipments, and ship-to-ship oil transfers outside the highest-risk areas are being used. This makes it possible to preserve some supplies, although it makes logistics more expensive and increases demand for tanker capacity," Head of the Investment Office at Astero Falcon Elena Nefedova told the newspaper.

In addition, there are no signs of a widespread crude oil shortage so far, with missing volumes being offset by strategic reserves, while demand from China remains low, according to Kommersant.

Analysts expect volatility to remain high in the coming weeks, with prices trading in the $90-105-per-barrel range. According to Sushkov, a sustained move above $100 per barrel "would require a new physical shock: a significant further reduction in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz or damage to major production facilities in Saudi Arabia or other Persian Gulf countries." Under such a scenario, prices could rise to $110-120 per barrel.

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