Press review: Moscow to prioritize its own interests in talks with Kiev as US quits UNESCO
Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, July 23rd
MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Russia intends to prioritize its national interests during the upcoming third round of negotiations with Ukraine, despite Donald Trump’s 50-day peace ultimatum; talks on the release of over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody have stalled; and the United States has announced its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, effective December 2026. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Moscow to prioritize national interests in talks with Kiev despite Trump’s 50-day peace deadline
The third round of Russian-Ukrainian talks is expected to take place in Istanbul later this week. According to media reports, the meeting is scheduled for the evening of July 23 in Istanbul, though the exact date and time are still being finalized. Moscow will be driven by its national interests at the upcoming negotiations with Kiev, despite the country noting Donald Trump’s call to achieve peace with Ukraine within 50 days, Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestia. Experts interviewed by the newspaper believe Trump’s ultimatum is unlikely to affect the upcoming talks, as his past statements often failed to materialize.
Kremlin expects no ‘magical breakthroughs’ at talks
"We understand, we are aware of it, we acknowledge [Trump’s ultimatum]. But we are primarily led by our national interests and the interests of maintaining international stability," Grigory Karasin told Izvestia.
One of the central topics of the talks is expected to be a discussion of the draft memorandums exchanged by both parties following the second round. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, both delegations have a great deal of work ahead of them before any potential high-level meeting between Russia and Ukraine can be considered.
Experts believe that Trump’s ultimatum should not be interpreted literally. The President of the United States has made numerous statements in the past that ultimately never materialized, member of Russia’s Council on Interethnic Relations Bogdan Bezpalko told the newspaper.
At the same time, should the American leader move forward with imposing tariffs on Russia and its trading partners, it could disrupt global trade and logistics chains. However, Trump’s statements and appeals are unlikely to change the course of the third round of talks, as the two sides hold fundamentally divergent negotiating positions.
"I do not believe that the resumption of dialogue will significantly alter the overall trajectory of the conflict. The parties may agree on technical matters and articulate their respective positions on points of disagreement, but resolving these disagreements will likely require decisions from others at the highest level," political analyst Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Russian Government, previously told Izvestia.
Izvestia: Talks on Palestinian prisoners in Israel stall amid ceasefire prospects
Negotiations on the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons have yet to begin, Hamas’s Prisoners Affairs Authority told Izvestia. Still, the issue remains one of the movement’s core conditions for any future ceasefire, which, according to media reports, could be reached in the coming days. The total number of such prisoners exceeds 10,000, not including those detained from Gaza who are being held in military camps, the movement noted.
Following the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with mediation by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in Doha on July 6, the sides began addressing the situation of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. "At this stage of negotiations, the focus is on the return of 10 hostages out of the estimated 20 living captives," a diplomatic source in Israel told Izvestia.
However, talks on the release of Palestinian detainees held by Israel have not yet started, Izvestia has learned. This issue remains one of Hamas’s conditions for a ceasefire agreement.
According to media director at Hamas's Office of Martyrs and Prisoners Nahed Al-Fakhouri, the total number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons has reached 10,700. "This figure does not include the thousands detained from the Gaza Strip who are held in military camps, whose whereabouts remain unknown against the backdrop of ongoing forced disappearances," he noted.
"One possible scenario for ending the conflict is transferring control of Gaza to local structures. This would give Gaza a chance at self-governance without Hamas," a diplomatic source in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Izvestia.
However, the concept of ‘local structures’ in the context of Gaza is rather ambiguous, Middle East expert Leonid Tsukanov told the newspaper, since neither Hamas nor Fatah has previously been viewed by the Israeli government as a viable option for future control.
Meanwhile, London has announced it may consider imposing new sanctions on Israel if it refuses to agree to a ceasefire. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed hope that a truce could begin as early as August. Earlier, amid the expansion of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, the British government suspended negotiations with the Israeli authorities on a new free trade agreement.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Ukraine awaits revived negotiation efforts amid manpower, weapons shortages
The results of the latest Ramstein meeting indicate that the era of large-scale Western military aid packages to Kiev may be coming to an end. There is no clarity regarding the delivery of Patriot air defense systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and signs of shortages in other categories of weaponry are also starting to appear, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces face a shortfall in personnel. Against this backdrop, Russia is reportedly preparing a strategic offensive along one of the fronts, according to expert assessments. In light of these developments, Vladimir Zelensky may have shifted his rhetoric, calling for "more momentum in negotiations" to end the conflict during a meeting with Ukrainian ambassadors.
The Patriot missile systems promised to Kiev by US President Donald Trump are not expected to arrive in Ukraine any time soon. Berlin continues negotiations with Washington on the matter, with the details of the deal still unresolved, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated.
"Ukraine is clearly lacking the human, financial, and material resources to sustain active combat operations," retired Colonel and military expert Vladimir Popov told Nezavisimaya Gazeta. "Zelensky still expects support from the West, but that support is shrinking like shagreen leather. Ukraine also wants to rely not only on drone production but on the ‘human factor’, sending just about everyone into the army," he added.
However, this approach is unlikely to resolve the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ staffing problems, Popov believes. He pointed to the recruitment of mercenaries from Latin American countries into the Ukrainian military. Specifically, fighters from Brazil and Colombia who have signed contracts with Ukraine’s 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade are currently engaged in combat in the Sumy region, the expert noted. "This is one of the directions where our forces may initiate an offensive. And the mercenaries there are in for a hard time," Popov asserted.
Vedomosti: US quits UNESCO, citing ideological clash and anti-Israel stance
On July 22, the US Department of State announced the country’s decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Washington has formally notified UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay of its intention, and the United States will cease to be a full member of the organization as of December 31, 2026. According to the department’s statement, UNESCO is promoting a globalist and ideologically driven agenda that conflicts with the current administration’s "America First" policy. The US also pointed to UNESCO’s decision to admit Palestine as a member state, arguing that it contributes to the spread of hostile anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization, Vedomosti writes.
Trump decides to withdraw US from UNESCO — White House
The New York Post and The New York Times reported on the forthcoming withdrawal shortly before the official announcement, citing statements from US officials. According to these sources, Washington’s decision stems from the organization’s perceived bias against the United States and Israel, as well as its support for polarizing cultural and social initiatives.
The US withdrawal from UNESCO is a logical step aligned with the broader strategy of the current White House administration to exit international agreements it deems contrary to national interests, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of the US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Pavel Koshkin told Vedomosti. In Donald Trump’s view, the institution serves as a breeding ground for left-liberal ideas he despises and as a stronghold of progressive influence, the expert added.
Trump underestimates the value of soft power and focuses only on measures that can yield immediate and tangible benefits, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics Dmitry Suslov told Vedomosti. In the US president’s view, institutions like UNESCO fail to deliver quick and clear-cut results and are therefore deemed ineffective and even harmful, the political analyst explained. "Moreover, Trump is waging a political and informational campaign against the ideology of liberalism, which is often supported by institutions such as UNESCO," he added.
Vedomosti: European gas prices projected to stay above $400 per 1,000 cubic meters through 2026
Natural gas prices in Europe are expected to remain above $400 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2025-2026, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) quarterly Gas Market Report. Experts interviewed by Vedomosti believe that elevated European gas prices, fueled by storage needs, reduced Russian transit, and global LNG competition, will support demand for Russian gas through 2026, though supply limitations remain a significant concern for exporters like Gazprom and Novatek.
According to IEA analysts, the average gas price at the TTF, the most liquid trading hub in the Netherlands, will reach $12.5 per 1 mln British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2025, equivalent to $446 per 1,000 cubic meters. According to the report, this represents a 16% increase over 2024 levels. The rise is attributed to three main factors: the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine as of January 1, 2025; the need to replenish European underground gas storage (UGS) facilities following the 2024-2025 heating season; and intensified price competition for liquefied natural gas (LNG) with Asian markets, the report noted.
Analysts surveyed by Vedomosti largely concur with the IEA’s outlook, noting that the EU’s ambition to fill its UGS facilities to 90% capacity ahead of winter will be a key factor keeping prices above the $400 threshold. Gas injection volumes into storage remain relatively low for now, and EU countries will need to ramp up their purchases, lead analyst at the National Energy Security Fund and expert at the Financial University under the Russian Government Igor Yushkov noted.
Sergey Kaufman, an analyst at Finam Group, expects the average gas price in the EU this year to be in the range of $420-430 per 1,000 cubic meters. He predicts that prices will gradually decline as the European market adjusts to the ongoing geopolitical realities.
According to Sergey Suverov, investment strategist at Aricapital Asset Management, gas prices in the EU will hover around $430 per 1,000 cubic meters in Q4 2025.
Prices above $400 per 1,000 cubic meters are favorable for Gazprom and Novatek, as they help maintain demand for Russian gas in Europe, Suverov and Yushkov argue. However, the main challenges for these companies lie in limited sales volumes, the experts added.
