Press review: Moscow ready to discuss EU security as Russia-North Korea ties advance fast
Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, October 28th
MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Moscow is ready to discuss European security issues with the EU; Russia offers new opportunities for cooperation with ASEAN nations; and Russia-North Korea cooperation remains at a high pace. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Moscow prepared to discuss European security issues with EU
Moscow is ready to welcome European officials to discuss security issues, a Foreign Ministry official told Izvestia. However, the West needs to change its confrontational approach. Meanwhile, some Western countries appear to share Russia’s position. In particular, Hungary’s foreign minister is expected to take part in the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security. Russia and Belarus plan to engage as many countries as possible in the development of a future Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st century.
Russia is ready to work together with Europe to build a system of Eurasian security, the Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large Alexander Trofimov told the newspaper. According to him, some European countries have shown an interest in the initiative.
One of them is Hungary. The Hungarian government supports the idea while the majority of Western countries think very differently, Hungarian political scientist Gabor Stier pointed out to Izvestia. He emphasized that it’s impossible to ensure stability around Ukraine without building Eurasian security. Brussels believes that it is strengthening its security by confronting Moscow, yet in reality, Europe can stay safe only through dialogue with Russia.
Moscow and Minsk seek to encourage as many countries as possible to become part of the project. Earlier, Russia sent an invitation to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to join the future Eurasian Charter. Work is also underway to coordinate positions with China.
"We believe that the situation will inevitably change. It’s not enough to say that a multipolar world is about to emerge. The task is to define certain propositions in the future world order. The Minsk meeting will undoubtedly be very important in this regard. The most crucial developments will take place behind the scenes, but the goal is to show alternative versions of the world order," said Nikolay Mezhevich, Valdai Discussion Club expert and head of the Center for Belarusian Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Europe.
Izvestia: Russia creates new opportunities for cooperation with ASEAN
Cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states is one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Izvestia. He is part of Russia’s delegation to the organization’s summit in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Moscow can offer the countries of the region cooperation in the energy and food sectors. Meanwhile, the West may try to undermine any initiative, an informed source says.
The United States’ tariff policy turned out to be one of the main issues on the agenda of the summit, set to last until October 28. The countries of the region seek to make agreements with Washington. Vietnam, in particular, has promised to reduce China’s participation in its exports to the US, political scientist Viktor Pirozhenko pointed out. On the other hand, in his words, Chinese manufacturers know how to circumvent US restrictions. Still, Vietnam and other nations are interested in attracting capital not only from China and the US but also from Russia, the expert added. That said, the current international situation is opening new opportunities for Moscow.
Southeast Asia is becoming one of the most promising regions for Moscow and the Eurasian Economic Union following the collapse of trade ties with Europe. This is not accidental because the region, which has a population of over 650 million, is a major market for Russian goods.
The region is an important buyer of fertilizers and agricultural goods because Southeast Asian countries face certain food security issues. The Eurasian Economic Union and Russia can be key suppliers here, strengthening both food and energy security of these nations, Alexander Korolyov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, emphasized.
Russia is gradually abandoning the US dollar, turning to the Chinese yuan in trade not only with China but also with other Southeast Asian nations, Rudenko told Izvestia. What makes the yuan strong is China’s expanding trade with many countries, said Nikolay Marchenko, director of the non-profit organization "Eurasian Youth Projects.” “China’s rising investment activity in various parts of the world is another reason. Moreover, while Washington’s position is radically changing, China’s policy is stable and pragmatic, which is particularly important amid the current global turbulence,” the expert concluded.
Vedomosti: Russia-North Korea cooperation advances at high pace
The foreign ministers of Russia and North Korea, Sergey Lavrov and Choe Son Hui, have held talks in Moscow. North Korea’s top diplomat was also received by President Vladimir Putin, who asked her to pass his greetings to her country’s leader Kim Jong Un, Vedomosti reports.
Choe last visited Moscow in November 2024. After that, she held talks with Lavrov in the summer of 2025, when he made a trip to North Korea. The Russian foreign minister also met with Kim then, describing bilateral relations as an "unbreakable brotherhood," and saying that Moscow would take Pyongyang’s interests into account when expanding relations with North Korea’s neighbors.
In the summer of 2024, when Putin made a visit to Pyongyang, the two countries signed a treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, which includes a clause on military assistance. Apart from ties in the field of defense and security, which culminated in Korean People's Army troops participating in the liberation of Russia’s Kursk Region, the two countries are also increasing cultural, educational and economic relations, along with cooperation in agriculture and the energy sector.
When it comes to bilateral relations, Russia and North Korea don’t factor in the events taking place in third countries, Ilya Dyachkov, associate professor with the Department of Oriental Studies at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, believes. "We have our own agenda and work plans; we are developing bilateral ties in various areas, which have grown a lot in recent years," he pointed out.
In particular, the expert noted that apart from a delegation of the United Russia party, led by its leader Dmitry Medvedev, members of the A Just Russia party and the Communist Party of Russia had also visited North Korea in October to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party. This comes as no surprise because allied relations between Russia and North Korea have reached a level where direct military assistance is provided, Dyachkov stressed.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Kiev relies on sanctions whip in conflict with Moscow
Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Olga Stefanishina has called on the US administration to link sanctions on Moscow with military assistance to Kiev. Recently, she also welcomed the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of three anti-Russian bills, which particularly make it possible to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. However, the US president will apparently focus on new sanctions against Russia’s financial sector for now, while Congress will save the above-mentioned bills for later, said experts interviewed by Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
"It seems US President Donald Trump intends to keep the negotiation process with Russia under his own control. He also expects to make his own decisions in order to increase pressure on Moscow. Still, the congressional bills will probably be saved for later as a sort of sanctions whip demonstrating that the US has the necessary initiatives planned, the next one worse than the last," Viktoria Zhuravlyova, head of the Center for North American Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations, pointed out.
Besides, according to her, there is much talk about expanding restrictions on Russia’s financial sector, so such sanctions are likely to be introduced. Donald Trump has clearly entered a new stage where he is beginning to apply sanctions instruments, while until recently, he confined himself to verbal statements against Moscow.
As for the congressional bills, primarily the initiative to add Russia to the list of state sponsors of terrorism, Congress has been discussing it in one form or another since 2014.
"However, it’s like possessing a nuclear bomb. Both we and the US have those yet we don’t use them. Washington is also unlikely to use it until it decides that nothing matters anymore: after us, the deluge. Still, I hope this time will never come," the expert concluded.
Media: Russia has world’s most successful currency
The Russian ruble is currently at the peak of its vital energy. Just a few years ago, analysts included it in the top three worst developing currencies due to a sharp weakening, but this year, it has been recognized as the world’s most successful currency with a prolonged period of strengthening, Nezavisiamya Gazeta writes.
According to the Russian Central Bank, the ruble has risen by about 20% against the US dollar since the beginning of the year. Economists attribute the current strengthening of the Russian currency to financial flows from exporters and geopolitical expectations.
Financial analyst Pavel Ryabov explains that the factors supporting the ruble include a change in the payment structure, a decline in demand for foreign currencies due to various risks and restrictions, difficulties with imports from unfriendly countries, and the strict monetary policy of the Central Bank.
However, there are also strong factors playing against the ruble. According to the expert, foreign capital flows to Russia have been blocked almost completely, major exporters have reduced foreign currency sales and inflation is increasing. Ryabov notes that the long-term balance is against the ruble, particularly in a situation where exports are unstable and the budget deficit is high.
"The current level of key rates is significantly lower than in the first half of 2025, which will likely contribute to the gradual weakening of the ruble. In the current baseline scenario, we expect the dollar exchange rate to reach 85-90 rubles by the end of the year," Natalya Vashchelyuk, senior analyst at the Pervaya asset management company, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Marina Nikishova, chief economist at Zenit Bank, expects that declining currency sales by the Central Bank will increase pressure on the ruble in 2026, along with a drop in export revenues stemming from a potential fall in oil prices.
