MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. The European Union is looking to strengthen Ukraine ahead of potential peace talks, and the Republican Party led by US President Donald Trump is bracing for a defeat in November’s midterm elections. Meanwhile, the latest BRICS summit in India highlighted the growing role of the grouping in promoting the interests of the Global South. These stories topped Monday's newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: EU looks to strengthen Ukraine ahead of potential talks
The EU wants to give Kiev a quantitative and qualitative advantage in working out the terms of any future agreements with Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia. This is why the Europeans are keen to take part in negotiations. The European Commission, for one, has just approved a new €6.1 billion aid package for Kiev to purchase air defenses and other weapons. In addition, European leaders may once again persuade US President Donald Trump to restore pressure on Moscow, experts argue. The Kremlin does not rule out the possibility of reviving trilateral talks involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine in October.
For the time being, European countries continue to consider sending their troops to Ukraine after the conflict. Among other things, the idea was discussed at a meeting of the "coalition of the willing" on September 4. However, a week later, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a blunt warning that any European troop deployment to Ukraine would mean a war with Russia. Moscow has no reason to enter into conflict with Europe, as everything was resolved following the results of WWII, he added.
Maintaining the current political regime in Ukraine is extremely important for European officials, since Kiev plays the role of a constant threat to Moscow and serves as a distraction for its attention and forces, Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University, noted. The ultimate goal of Brussels at this stage is to defeat or weaken Russia as much as possible by reducing its global weight, the expert argued.
Kiev’s European allies are currently focused on two key directions: they are urgently trying to find missile interceptors for Ukraine’s air defense system as the Ukrainian army’s combat capabilities have declined amid Russian strikes. The other goal pursued by Brussels and London, Shapovalov argued, is to persuade Russia to resume applying pressure on Russia. European leaders may visit the White House like they did following the Alaska meeting between Putin and US leader Donald Trump in August 2025.
The Ukraine issue was discussed at the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 11-13. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed at a meeting with Putin that the UAE is ready to host Ukraine talks. Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov described the potential venue as "fully acceptable."
According to Oleg Karpovich, department head at the Diplomatic Academy of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the UAE has repeatedly demonstrated its effectiveness as a neutral platform for the negotiation process, and trust is key in resolving such issues. While the implementation of conditions outlined at the Anchorage summit remains the most urgent topic for negotiations, Karpovich said, today, there are growing doubts about whether Kiev would be ready for compromises. And Ukraine will need to recognize the current realities in the special military operation zone for any 2.0 talks.
Vedomosti: Trump-led GOP party bracing for defeat at midterms
With 50 days to go to the US midterm election, Republican President Donald Trump gives unprecedented pledges to help out his losing party. Addressing a GOP convention on September 9-10, he promised a $5,000 `Trump Dividend’ to every adult American if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. Later, he pledged that the Iran war he launched on February 28 will end but only after the midterms, when he also said gasoline prices will drop.
Despite all these pledges, the Cook Political Report said, only 37, or a small fraction, of the 435 House districts and nine of 35 Senate seats up for election are truly competitive. Calculations by Vedomosti based on up-to-date ratings and electoral track-record show that Democrats will win a House majority by 10 or more seats, and while Republicans still have a chance to retain their Senate majority, they may lose one or two seats.
Meanwhile, the ratings of Trump himself and his party have continued to plunge below 40%: as of September 11, the head of state’s nationwide approval rating stood at 39.3%, or one of the lowest in his second term, and the Republican rating stood at 38.8%, according to a Real Clear Politics survey. For comparison, the majority of Americans, or 48.3%, are ready to vote for Democrats who enjoy a 40% approval rating.
Pavel Dubravsky, a political analyst and CEO of Dubravskiy Consulting, too expects Democrats to win a House majority. The situation in the Senate may be less clear, but House Republicans will have to choose between a bad and a very bad outcome. Yevgeny Minchenko, CEO of Minchenko Consulting, agrees. According to him, Trump has lost economically oriented voters and disappointed his own allies with the Iran war. However, he emphasized, even despite such comfortable conditions, Democrats will not be able to win a crushing House victory or gain a Senate majority. "Democrats don’t have either a bright leader or a unique agenda," the expert said.
The House control transitioning to Democrats would guarantee Trump an insurmountable barrier to his entire agenda, including the election and migration reforms, Vadim Kozlov, Head of the Department for Domestic Policy Studies at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, told Vedomosti. As regards his foreign policy, a Democratic win will not cause any significant changes as the president has the biggest mandate here, the expert stressed.
Media: BRICS summit in India shows where Global South stands
BRICS is strengthening its role as the main platform for promoting the interests of the Global South. Cooperation has not stalled amid the acute conflict around Iran: participants in the New Delhi summit were able to adopt the final declaration, even as the positions of some countries vary. The grouping is now facing a strategic choice between whether to develop full-fledged institutions, becoming an international organization, or to maintain the current flexible format of the forum. BRICS critically needs new mechanisms that can improve living conditions in specific countries to implement major projects.
The latest summit confirmed that a coalition of Asian, African, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries - players seeking to boost their global posture - is forming around BRICS. In the summit declaration, the BRICS leaders highlighted the contribution of partners as they called on them to play a more active role in joint projects.
That the final document was adopted unanimously represents a major diplomatic success for India as BRICS chair. New Delhi managed to bring the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran, which became involved in the Middle East conflict due to the policies pursued by the United States and Israel, to the table.
India’s BRICS presidency is successful at least because a star team of global leaders gathered in New Delhi for separate talks, Gleb Makarevich, research fellow at the Center for the Indo-Pacific Region at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), agreed. And the fact that the declaration was adopted without sparking a row between Iran and the UAE, too, is a positive development for the Indians. Besides, New Delhi’s authority in the Global South was once again confirmed, he told Vedomosti.
BRICS will likely consolidate as a hybrid structure: it will not become a full-fledged political and military pole modeled on a bloc, with its composition being too heterogeneous, and the principle of consensus during any expansion will only make resolving sensitive issues more difficult. Nor will it remain a purely "economic club" either for it is clear already that a common language is being developed on international security, global governance, reform of international institutions, climate and technological agenda through the association, Margarita Lipovataya, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Global Processes at Lomonosov Moscow State University, explained to Izvestia. And BRICS is likely to adopt a model of electoral consolidation. The association will act more cohesively and institutionally on issues where interests coincide, such as de-dollarization, or reform of the IMF and the UN Security Council, the expert said.
However, the growing role of this grouping is inevitably perceived as a challenge to the previous model of international relations in the West. Washington, for one, is sharply toughening its rhetoric against BRICS members, which in itself suggests that BRICS is becoming a significant irritant for the United States, Lipovataya added.
Vedomosti: What Houthis’ advance in Yemen could spell for Saudi Arabia
The hostilities in Yemen between the pro-Iranian Houthis and pro-Saudi government forces continued, as Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated on September 13 that his movement had carried out an attack on the Sharurah military base in southern Saudi Arabia. The Houthis targeted Saudi weapons depots, as well as command and control centers, using ballistic missiles and drones, Saree said in a post on X.
The Houthis also warned the Saudi side that attacks inside the kingdom will continue unless Riyadh ends its aggression. And on September 12, Yemen’s government forces with Saudi support carried out a series of strikes on Houthi positions. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, fielding reporters’ questions, that the movement is not looking to fight with America. According to Trump, the Houthis are only dissatisfied with Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s official government fighting against Ansar Allah.
Axios reported earlier that Saudi de-facto leader Mohammed bin Salman had twice asked Trump to attack Houthi positions over the phone. The US leader refused to provide direct military assistance to the crown prince as he said Washington needed to focus on the conflict with Iran. Nor did Turkey and Pakistan agree to help Saudi Arabia with their troops even as they signed a military bloc with it in early August.
The American position regarding the conflict around the Red Sea is not very clear for a number of reasons, Alexey Yurk, a researcher with the Center for Middle East Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, told Vedomosti. Firstly, the Trump administration attempted to defeat the Houthis back in 2025, which resulted in a tactical victory in the form of a ceasefire and guarantees that the Houthis would not attack American ships, despite the lack of any strategic success. Moreover, that campaign was the first sign in a series of military failures for the current administration, demonstrating the limitations of US military tools. Secondly, all available resources are currently focused on Iran. Finally, the recent escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia theoretically gives Trump an opportunity to subsequently draw Riyadh into a direct confrontation with Tehran.
And in the wake of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the current oil crisis in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the southern Red Sea has spread beyond the oil and shipping industries, Kirill Rodionov, an expert in energy, noted.
The developments clearly benefit Iran, as this eventually distracts Arab, Israeli and potentially US resources away from itself and once again shows to the entire world how unable the US is to achieve the desired results militarily, Yurk argued. All of this, as Tehran views it, should push, if not Washington, then at least its allies, to negotiate with it. At the same time, the expert noted, it should not be forgotten that it was the Saudis who contributed to the latest bout of tensions by attacking the airport where an Iranian delegation was scheduled to arrive in July. That move gave Iran an excellent pretext to escalate the conflict around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Kommersant: Experts weigh in on soaring metallurgical coal prices
The growing shortage of metallurgical coal in Asian markets has boosted demand for Russian commodities. In the first week of September, coal prices Free on Board (FOB) in the Far East reached $176 per metric ton, up by one-third since early 2026. A deal was even signed to supply 40,000 tons of Russian grade K coal to China at $267 per metric ton. Experts believe the shortage is temporary as they await a price correction in the second half of the year.
At the end of 2025, a strong upward trend emerged in the global coking coal market, which, according to Alexander Kotov, partner at NEFT Research, could persist until the end of the first quarter of 2027. The current growth is fundamentally driven by three factors, namely slowing production in China due to strict environmental inspections at mines, strong demand from India, and output problems facing key exporters in Australia, where the slightest deterioration in weather conditions during the rainy season from November to February causes supply disruptions.
Boris Krasnozhenov, head of the investment and industry analysis directorate at Alfa-Bank, warns of the temporary nature of the current shortage. For Russian coal miners, the surge in demand will significantly improve the economic situation in the second half of the year, with senior analyst at T-Investments Akhmed Aliyev predicting a sharp rise in EBITDA compared to the first half of the year.
Kotov expects that growing coal prices will only lead to a decline in metal trade globally, reduced capacity utilization, and a wave of bankruptcies among inefficient players. The global market remains under pressure from Chinese imports that exceed 10 million metric tons per month. Krasnozhenov expects steel prices to remain close to current levels until the end of the year.
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