MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. The EU seeks a seat at Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi despite putting forward no proposals to end the conflict; the Trump administration remains divided over whether to negotiate with Iran, maintain pressure, or launch new strikes; and Democrats’ election victory rattles oil and tech markets but is unlikely to derail Trump’s policies. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: EU seeks to join Ukraine peace talks despite having no settlement proposals
Current discussions within the European Union are not intended to restore serious dialogue with Russia, Russian Ambassador to Ireland Yury Filatov told Izvestia. Ireland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, is focused on assisting Kiev and has put forward no proposals for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, the diplomat stressed. Nevertheless, the European Union still seeks to send its own delegation to the negotiations in the UAE. The Kremlin previously noted that European representatives could not participate in the meeting in Abu Dhabi because the Russia-US-Ukraine format had already been agreed.
"There is no reason to expect any remotely sensible or realistic proposals from Dublin for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and none have been put forward. Everything is focused on continuing the war in Ukraine through various forms of assistance to Vladimir Zelensky. The Irish are actively participating in various EU programs to raise funds for the war against Russia, diverting billions of euros from the European economy, which is already far from being in the best shape," Filatov said.
According to him, current discussions within the European Union are not intended to restore serious, responsible dialogue with Russia.
"Rather, they are focused on finding someone best suited to take on the mission of the EU’s so-called 'negotiator,' whom Brussels hopes to 'squeeze' into the Russia-US-Ukraine negotiating process to ensure that the Kiev authorities do not deviate from their assigned task of ‘fighting to the last Ukrainian,’" Filatov stressed.
Egor Sergeev, a senior research fellow at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University, told Izvestia that the European Commission wants to oversee EU foreign policy, although final decisions are made by the Council of the EU and the European Council, which brings together the leaders of the bloc’s member states.
According to St. Petersburg State University Professor Natalya Eremina, the European delegation wants to attend the negotiations in Abu Dhabi to keep track of Ukraine’s actions and prevent agreements from being reached. The EU leadership has not given up on its goal of defeating Russia and therefore will not take Moscow’s interests into account during the negotiations, the expert believes.
Izvestia: Washington struggles to agree on Iran strategy as internal divisions widen
The war with Iran, which US Vice President JD Vance called the main reason for the Republicans’ electoral defeat, has left the Trump administration without a clear strategy. One faction favors a deal, another backs a blockade, and a third calls for renewed strikes. Experts interviewed by Izvestia do not rule out the possibility that the White House will have to find a scapegoat.
Following the elections, disagreements within the administration over Iran have only intensified, according to US media reports. At least three approaches have emerged. One group, including Vice President JD Vance, insists on reaching an agreement with Tehran and opposes the resumption of military operations.
Another group, which includes CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, advocates keeping the naval blockade and economic pressure in place. A third faction calls for carrying out new strikes against Iran and then attempting to secure peace.
Donald Trump himself is reportedly seriously weighing the resumption of strikes on Iran’s energy facilities. However, Washington’s future strategy toward Tehran remains unclear, the newspaper writes.
"I wouldn’t say that any major political decisions regarding Iran will be made now, given the shifting balance of power within the United States. Although, of course, everyone understood perfectly well how these elections would end, and the weakening of the Republicans’ position was widely anticipated," Danila Krylov, a researcher at the Department of the Middle East and Post-Soviet East at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences, told Izvestia.
"However, I think we will most likely see War Secretary Pete Hegseth resign, because a scapegoat needs to be found. Responsibility for the failure of this operation will most likely be shifted onto him," the expert suggested.
Krylov stressed that Israel regularly manipulates information. However, according to him, the Arab monarchies will not seek to heighten tensions with Iran.
Vedomosti: Democrats’ socialist wing makes gains but faces limits on political influence
In addition to securing control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections in the United States, the Democratic Party has moved noticeably further to the left. The new House of Representatives, which will convene in January 2027, will include six Democrats who received official endorsements from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). According to experts interviewed by Vedomosti, the Democrats’ left-wing gains reflect widespread economic dissatisfaction rather than widespread support for their agenda, while their internal divisions may hamper their ability to advance progressive policies beyond occasional successes.
Overall, the House of Representatives will have eight or nine openly democratic socialist lawmakers among the Democrats beginning in 2027, with the party’s total number of seats potentially surpassing 240, according to The New York Times. Vote counting is still underway.
At this stage, the Democrats’ increasingly influential left wing will have limited opportunities to fully shape the party’s agenda, Pavel Koshkin, senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for US and Canadian Studies, told Vedomosti. In his view, progressives will push for initiatives addressing climate issues, including efforts to regulate data centers, as well as measures to expand social programs. In foreign policy, they will advocate an anti-Israel stance. Efforts targeting data centers refer specifically to regulating the construction of such infrastructure to ensure compliance with climate standards.
Koshkin stressed that the principal instrument for advancing these initiatives will not be traditional legislative activity - drafting, introducing, and promoting bills - but rather budget policy. He believes the success of left-wing Democrats stems less from the popularity of their proposals and platforms than from dissatisfaction with the state of the economy under Trump and the Republicans.
"They managed to come to the forefront amid widespread discontent. From time to time, they will succeed in pushing through some of their initiatives, but only partially and subject to numerous conditions. Overall, however, the current party establishment will be able to absorb these ideas. The relatively limited effectiveness of the left wing can be explained, not least, by its internal divisions," Koshkin said.
Vedomosti: Democrats’ election victory shakes up global markets but is unlikely to derail Trump’s agenda
The Democrats’ victory in the November 3 US congressional midterm elections put pressure on oil prices and technology stocks. By Thursday evening, November 5, Moscow time, Brent crude had dropped by 6.72% since November 3 to $96.79 per barrel, while the Nasdaq 100 index had declined 3.49% to 27,195.56 points and the S&P 500 had edged down 0.44% to 7,535.26 points. The US Dollar Index (DXY) fell 0.26% to 101.6 points. Analysts told Vedomosti the Democrats’ victory could limit but not reverse Trump’s policies, boosting renewable energy while increasing the likelihood of shifts in US foreign policy and sanctions.
The Democrats’ victory could hinder President Donald Trump’s policy agenda but is unlikely to change its overall course, according to Vyacheslav Golik, investment strategist at Alg Capital. Golik noted that the president retains veto power, and overriding a veto requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress, meaning that some Republican support would be necessary.
Immediately after the new Congress convenes, Democrats intend to vote on ending the war with Iran or requiring Trump to obtain congressional authorization to continue it, CNBC reported. They also plan to promote legislation repealing the tariffs imposed by the president and restoring Congress’s authority to set import duties.
At the same time, according to Reuters estimates, the new Congress could boost military and financial assistance to Ukraine, increase the chances of restrictions on or an end to military aid to Israel, reduce military spending, and restore foreign aid.
The renewable energy sector is likely to be the main beneficiary of the Democrats’ victory, as the party has historically backed the energy transition, according to Finam analysts.
Investors viewed the election results as removing some political uncertainty and pointing to the continuation of divided control of government, global assets analyst at Euler Bennett Kerr believes. Oil prices are declining because Democrats have pledged to end the war in Iran, according to BCS analysts.
The Democrats’ victory will have no direct impact on Russian companies, Finam analysts said. Export-oriented oil companies, tanker shipping operators, and state-owned banks would be the most exposed to tighter sanctions, Golik believes. Companies operating primarily in the domestic market and earning revenue in rubles would be better protected, he added.
Kommersant: Russia’s fuel imports climb 25% in October, but further growth appears unlikely
Foreign petroleum product supplies to Russia grew by 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) in October compared with September, but remained 35,000-99,000 bpd below their summer peaks. High transportation costs continue to hamper imports, while refinery utilization has begun to recover. Analysts see no conditions that would justify an increase in fuel imports before the end of the year, Kommersant writes.
Russia’s seaborne imports of petroleum products increased by 25% in October compared with September, reaching 54,000 bpd, according to data from Kpler. However, the figure remained well below the levels recorded in July and August, when Russia imported approximately 89,000 bpd and 153,000 bpd of petroleum products, respectively.
According to Kpler, Morocco accounted for more than 40,000 bpd of October shipments, with the remainder supplied by Turkey. Between July and September, Russia also imported petroleum products from India, South Korea, and Egypt. Gasoline accounted for the bulk of imports in the third quarter, while a smaller share consisted of aviation fuel destined primarily for the Russian Far East, Kpler said in its report.
Sergey Tereshkin, CEO of Open Oil Market, said that 54,000 bpd amounts to slightly more than 200,000 metric tons per month, whereas Russia’s annual consumption of gasoline alone reaches approximately 40 mln metric tons. According to the analyst, the cost of imported fuel remains one of the factors constraining further growth in shipments. To offset transportation expenses, filling stations would have to sell the fuel at prices considerably higher than those Russian consumers are accustomed to paying, he noted.
The Russian Energy Ministry said that imported gasoline cannot have a significant impact on average fuel prices, while the need for such shipments is decreasing. The ministry added that the "import damper" mechanism compensates consumers for the difference between high global fuel prices and domestic prices.
Looking ahead, refining volumes will depend in part on the scale of attacks on refineries, Kpler noted. As Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak previously reported, three oil refineries were attacked overnight on October 30, one of which sustained damage, although the incident would not affect domestic market supplies.
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