Press review: Trump ramps up rhetoric toward Russia as EU eyes Ukraine accession talks
Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, July 10th
US President Donald Trump
MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric toward Russia; the EU is gearing up to open full accession negotiations with Ukraine this fall; and gold prices have surged since 2022 amid global uncertainty and moves toward de-dollarization. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Vedomosti: Trump ramps up rhetoric toward Russia while aiming to avoid irreversible confrontation
US President Donald Trump stated on July 8 that he was "displeased with Putin," responding to questions from journalists. Trump also emphasized his personal readiness to consider imposing new sanctions on Russia. When referring to these potential new restrictions, he was presumably alluding to the sanctions bill proposed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (designated by Russia as a terrorist and extremist). The draft bill, introduced in April, includes primary and secondary sanctions against Russia should it refuse to agree to a ceasefire, as well as the introduction of 500% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other energy resources. Experts interviewed by Vedomosti believe Trump’s sharpened rhetoric serves both to project strength to his domestic audience and to maintain leverage over Russia, while he cautiously avoids committing to direct confrontation.
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Since returning to the White House on January 20, Trump has never ruled out the possibility of taking a tougher approach in managing relations with Russia. He threatened new sanctions in March and again in late May, and on several occasions hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the negotiation process. The latest uptick in rhetoric became noticeable following his sixth official phone call with Vladimir Putin on July 3. Already on July 8, Trump had stated that he would continue supplying Kiev with defensive weaponry.
Trump’s harsher tone remains largely symbolic for now as he seeks to avoid being portrayed as weak, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the Higher School of Economics Dmitry Suslov told the newspaper. This stance likely does not imply a sharp increase in arms deliveries. "He would prefer this to remain Biden’s war, rather than becoming Trump’s war," the expert noted. However, should the US supply Kiev with a new Patriot missile battery, one not included in the aid packages approved under Biden, this conflict would then become Trump’s conflict, the expert added.
If Congress passes Graham’s bill, the administration’s key concern will be ensuring that its enforcement is not mandatory for the president. "It must remain a stick he can use for pressure, rather than a tool he is compelled to wield, as he fears collapsing the fragile dialogue with Russia," Suslov emphasized.
There are several reasons why a shift toward harsher confrontation may occur, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences Pavel Koshkin believes. These include sending a signal of strength to the domestic audience, acknowledging the complexity of the conflict itself, and the growing influence of hardliners within the administration.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: EU may begin accession talks with Ukraine this fall, but membership by 2030 remains uncertain
The European Union will be technically prepared this fall to open all negotiation clusters for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, according to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. However, she gave a more cautious assessment regarding the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU by 2030. Experts interviewed by Nezavisimaya Gazeta noted that the negotiation process could drag on for many years, as Ukraine, in its current state, is not ready to join the Union. They also reminded that, despite the commissioner’s assurances to the contrary, even the decision to open the first negotiation cluster requires unanimous approval from all EU member states, including Hungary.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently reiterated his opposition to Ukraine’s membership, arguing that its integration into the EU would also mean incorporating the ongoing military conflict. At the same time, the media quoted Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna as saying that Hungary does not have the authority to block the launch of negotiations with Kiev.
Representatives from both Brussels and Kiev appear to have overplayed their positions, Professor at the Department of European Studies of the Faculty of International Relations at Saint Petersburg State University Stanislav Tkachenko told the newspaper. As is well known, he continued, each stage of the accession negotiations with a candidate country requires the unanimous consent of all EU member states.
"It is possible that the necessary decision to launch negotiations has already been prepared in Brussels. But it will be a political decision. Meanwhile, the practical discussions on Ukraine’s subsequent accession, due to its evident lack of readiness and non-compliance with European standards, could be postponed for many years. I believe that, acting as a responsible organization, the European Union will refrain from accelerating Ukraine’s transition from negotiations to full membership without a solid foundation," Tkachenko concluded.
At the same time, he emphasized that if the EU leadership’s current proposal to establish a 100-bln-euro fund to support Ukraine is incorporated into the bloc’s budget for the next seven years, this would mark a transition toward direct financing of Kiev from core budgetary sources, including tax revenues. This, in turn, would likely facilitate the European Commission’s future decisions of a similar nature.
Izvestia: Collapse of Hamas control in Gaza could open door to rival militias
One of the key topics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s talks with US President Donald Trump is the potential ceasefire in Gaza and the post-war settlement of the enclave. Meanwhile, the British press reported that Hamas representatives allegedly admit losing about 80% of their military and political control over the territory, and that clans cooperating with Israel may soon take over from the movement in power. Experts interviewed by Izvestia believe that the weakening of Hamas could lead to a dangerous power vacuum in Gaza, likely to be filled by unpredictable militant factions, while the broader future of the enclave remains uncertain amid stalled negotiations and ongoing hostilities.
Danila Krylov, Research Fellow at the Department of the Middle East and Post-Soviet East of the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia that the situation is extremely unclear. "In the Western media, there has been a growing amount of information, allegedly from senior Hamas officers, claiming that 80-90% of the group’s command structure has been destroyed, chaos reigns, and Hamas is being replaced by various militia factions," the expert said.
"If we assume that this information is indeed reliable and the losses are as severe as reported, there is nothing reassuring in this for the region. Power vacuums in chaotic environments tend to be filled quickly by various militant groups. This was the case in Syria when a strong governing structure collapsed. Most likely, under such circumstances in Gaza, the relatively predictable Hamas will be replaced by far less predictable factions, which will initially try to present themselves as ‘civilized’ and ‘democratic,’" Krylov emphasized.
Orientalist Andrey Ontikov told the newspaper that no one has a clear vision of Gaza’s future. "As long as the fighting continues, and no deal has been reached, it is difficult to say what lies ahead for Gaza, especially since Trump’s proposals essentially echo other American plans that include prisoner exchanges for hostages and some form of Israeli troop withdrawal," the expert noted.
The analyst did not rule out the possibility that the parties could agree to a temporary 60-day ceasefire.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Gold prices surge amid global volatility
Since October 2022, the price of gold has doubled, and since the beginning of 2025, it has risen by almost 30%. Outlining these results, the National Credit Ratings agency (NRA) projected, in its baseline scenario, that the precious metal would see an average annual price increase of around 8% through 2030.
Financial analysts interviewed by Nezavisimaya Gazeta view investments in gold as a viable alternative to deposits or real estate. However, experts also regard the rise in gold prices as "not the healthiest symptom of the global economy," especially since there remains a considerable risk of not only a price correction but also of restrictions imposed by financial regulators.
According to NRA, since October 2022, gold has doubled in value, and since early 2025, it has gained nearly 30%. The underlying reasons include escalating trade tensions, the weakening of the US dollar index, geopolitical instability, and record-high demand.
Experts interviewed by the newspaper cited even more fundamental reasons behind the "gold rush." Alexey Vyazovsky, Vice President of the investment company Zolotaya Plata, identified the destabilization of the global financial system based on the US dollar as the main factor. "Major global central banks, such as the People’s Bank of China, are frightened by the freezing of Russia’s assets, are shifting into gold, specifically in physical form. There are also discussions about creating a single BRICS currency, which, incidentally, may also be pegged to this metal. All of this further heightens interest in gold," he said. According to Vyazovsky, this trend is likely to continue for another 5-7 years until a new financial architecture is established.
Currently, gold prices hover around $3,300 per troy ounce. However, according to exchange data, gold has been slipping in recent days, indicating the constant risk of a price correction following periods of sharp growth.
There is also a pessimistic scenario, which could materialize if factors such as monetary policy tightening, a decline in demand from central banks, a global recession accompanied by deflationary trends, or the technological replacement of gold in industry prevail. In that case, after a short-term increase, gold prices could drop back to $2,500-2,600 per ounce by 2030.
At the same time, Dmitry Orekhov, Managing Director of NRA, wrote in the forecast that for long-term investors, gold continues to serve as a strategic safe-haven asset, especially amid rising geopolitical and debt risks.
Kommersant: Russian grain exports plunge amid poor harvest, intensifying global rivalry
The agricultural year that began on July 1 is expected to be difficult for Russian grain exporters. By the end of July 2025, grain shipments abroad are forecast to reach around 2 mln metric tons, nearly half the volume exported during the same period last year. The challenges are not limited to adverse weather conditions faced by Russian farmers, Kommersant writes. Competition on the global grain market is heating up due to rising crop yields among major exporters, including those in the European Union.
In July 2025, Russia’s wheat exports may not exceed 2 mln metric tons, Dmitry Rylko, General Director of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, told Kommersant. The same projection was provided by Andrey Sizov, Director of the SovEcon analytical center. Rusagrotrans, another analytical firm, offered slightly higher estimates of 2.4-2.6 mln metric tons. These numbers are 1.9 times lower than the figures from June 2024, when 3.8 mln metric tons were shipped abroad.
Rusagrotrans noted that its current estimate is lower than previous forecasts, as the harvest volumes are shrinking. The harvesting campaign is lagging due to difficult weather conditions, a situation reminiscent of 2020, explained Dmitry Krasnov, Managing Director of the Agricultural Competence Center at Reksoft Consulting. According to him, abnormal heat and drought in southern Russia have negatively impacted both the yield and the quality of the grain.
In addition, the most financially stable agricultural producers are in no hurry to sell grain at current prices, hoping for more favorable market conditions, Krasnov added.
Nevertheless, market participants remain cautiously optimistic about the export prospects for the rest of the season. "There are still incentives to ramp up grain exports quickly during the first half of the season," Dmitry Rylko said. Export activity could increase in the second half of July and early August, as the harvest campaign gains traction, Krasnov noted.
However, competition on the global wheat market is expected to grow due to higher yields in key grain-exporting countries, Igor Shpakov, a representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office in Russia, noted. According to FAO forecasts, the EU will harvest 135 mln metric tons of wheat in the 2025-2026 season, an increase of 14% year-on-year.
