Press review: World awaits today’s Putin-Trump summit amid Russian gains on battlefield
Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, August 15th
MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. Today's Putin-Trump summit in Alaska will set the tone for how Ukraine situation unfolds, Russia's battlefield wins give Putin added leverage in Ukraine talks, and Moscow is ready to revise all agreements with Damascus. These stories topped Friday's headlines across Russia.
Vedomosti: Putin-Trump summit to set tone, not terms
Today's long-awaited summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska is an important signal that the two powers are ready to work together, but as for a Ukraine deal, expectations should be tempered, as a quick resolution is highly unlikely, Russian political scientists, politicians and scholars concluded at a roundtable held by the Kremlin-linked Expert Institute for Social Research (EISR).
One potential positive that could come out of the meeting is the development of a "strategic vision" for Russia-West relations, one that may serve as a framework for resolving the territorial issue and determining Ukraine’s future, believes Boris Mezhuyev, an associate professor at the Philosophy Department of Moscow State University. In his opinion, unrealistic expectations of a quick fix to the Ukraine conflict may hurt the very process of talks, particularly given the US president’s inclination toward "swift, neatly packaged solutions."
Alexey Martynov, director of the International Institute of the Newly Established States, emphasized that Russia’s stance on Ukraine is "firm" and non-negotiable." It’s his belief that the topic of security will be the top priority at the summit.
Nikita Setov, deputy director general for GR at Polylog Group suggested that, in addition to the Ukraine crisis, the heads of state may discuss the Arctic. Also on the agenda will be economic and technological cooperation, he suggests. "The biggest thing will be to establish some kind of framework — to lay down some ground rules."
The meeting has already produced some results, asserted Oleg Matveychev, deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications: the myth of Russia’s isolation has been shattered. According to him, Putin is going to the US not only as the head of state but also as a representative of a much broader circle of countries — BRICS allies and partners in the CSTO and SCO.
According to Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, the very fact that Trump himself said the meeting is preliminary shows that he understands they are playing a long game. "There are a host of long-standing issues related to global security. These are Russia’s main concern. So taking the temperature on a broad range of global policy issues is probably the main reason Trump wanted the meeting," the legislator told Vedomosti.
Izvestia: Russia's recent frontline gains give Putin added leverage at Alaska summit
On the eve of the summit between the Russian and US presidents — where Ukraine will be at the center — the spotlight is on the evolving situation on the battlefield. In recent days, Russian forces have stepped up ground offensives, making such big gains that even the West has had to acknowledge them. On August 14, it became known that the Russian military had carried out an operation eliminating Ukraine’s "missile program," wiping out enterprises where, with German funding, weapons were to be produced for strikes deep inside Russia. All these developments substantially strengthen Moscow’s position at the upcoming summit, experts note. As the Russian army steamrolls ahead on the battlefield, Ukraine is striking peaceful Russian cities, apparently in an attempt to derail the upcoming talks with provocations. Just in the past 24 hours, Russian forces took down about 270 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Our position at the front is good, we are advancing, and that of course will be an advantage going into negotiations with Trump," military expert Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia.
Strong progress is being made in the Pokrovsk area, further fueling optimism that the goals of the special military operation are within reach, the expert added.
"The Ukrainian armed forces are delivering strikes with Lyuty drones on Russian cities and enterprises along the special military operation’s entire line of engagement. Such strikes have minimal effect on Russia’s military-industrial complex or its fuel and energy system. But there is still damage, and that has an impact on civilian morale," military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia. "It’s about being visible, public, covered in the media, and showcasing supposed combat capabilities. However, it appears that even in Kiev they understand that this strategy is a big flop. And their other big ticket item — the production of Sapsans — was also derailed," he said. Still, he pointed out, amid all these successes, Russia knows that the job is not finished.
Currently, the Kiev regime’s main goal is undermining the talks, the majority of experts polled by Izvestia said.
"The number of strikes on Ukrainian territory have gone down, while Kiev’s hits on our cities, including Rostov-on-Don and Belgorod, have intensified. It appears to me that for them, it’s one way to do as much as possible to derail the negotiations," former Verkhovna Rada deputy Vladimir Oleynik told Izvestia.
But these tactics by Kiev won’t affect the course of the negotiations in any way, believes Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries. "After all, this isn’t the first instance, unfortunately, of them targeting civilians. And people continue to die as the West turns a blind eye," he told Izvestia.
The Kiev regime might be afraid to make any radical moves due to the US’ potential reaction, so for now Ukrainian troops limit themselves to drone attacks, the expert concluded.
Izvestia: Moscow seeks to rework pacts with Damascus amid regime change
Russia is ready to review all existing agreements and contracts with Syria amid the regime change in the Arab republic. Currently, Russia is waiting for the Syrian side to appoint its co-chairman of the intergovernmental Russian-Syrian commission. Irek Fayzullin, minister of construction, housing and communal services of the Russian Federation, is co-chairing the commission on the Russian side. The two countries continue to discuss military and technical cooperation, including retaining Russian military facilities in Syria.
According to Vladimir Akhmedov, an expert with the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, the revision of economic agreements between Moscow and Damascus is a necessary step to preserve and develop bilateral cooperation.
"Economic and military-technical ties remain the foundation of relations between Russia and Syria, but without updating outdated documents, many projects will not be able to work effectively," he told Izvestia. "Today, the economy of the Syrian Arab Republic is in an extremely tough spot. Western countries are in no hurry to invest in its restoration, and it will be difficult for Russia alone to take on the full scope of these tasks. The only way out is to bring in additional partners within the framework of the emerging multipolar system of international relations in the Middle East," the expert explained.
The upcoming meeting of the Russian-Syrian intergovernmental commission will be a key step in preparing for the reboot of the entire complex of the contractual and legal framework of bilateral cooperation. Moscow hopes that the Syrian leadership will be interested in deepening economic cooperation, as well as launching new projects that can accelerate the recovery of the country’s key sectors.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Serbian President Vucic won't run for third term, but seeks managed succession
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced that he is not going to alter the constitution in order to run for a third term of office. However, the incumbent president hinted that he has a successor in mind. The issue is whether the Serbs themselves will support him. Anti-government rallies of students and the opposition have been raging across the country for more than six months. If Vucic does not agree to a compromise, it will be tough for him to keep any political clout and replace himself with the figurehead he wants.
For a long time, it was believed that former Mayor of Novi Sad, Milos Vucevic, notably pro-Russia, could be the successor. "However, now, given the changes in Serbia’s domestic political field and increased pressure on the part of the EU, it’s difficult to imagine Vucevic winning," Yakov Smirnov, a researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained.
Smirnov noted that the current president will most likely become prime minister, while another figure, probably loyal to Vucic, will take the presidential post. "In that case, it doesn’t really matter who that person might be," the expert said. So the probability that Vucic will remain an active player in Serbian politics is very high. However, there are concerns that the protests may get in his way. "Most likely, he will have to agree to certain compromises. I think that his claims that in a year and a half he plans to end his presidential career are meant precisely to quell the storm. But, of course, this would only be a token step back from active control over the country," Smirnov believes.
Vedomosti: How long can Bitcoin keep breaking records?
Bitcoin shows no signs of slowing, continuing to hit new historic highs against the US dollar. On August 14, the first and most popular cryptocurrency reached a mark of $124,533 trading at the Coinbase exchange. The new Bitcoin record was the result of a rare combination of macroeconomic factors, regulatory signals and institutional demand, experts polled by Vedomosti said.
New legislative acts increasingly legitimize cryptoinvestments and spur institutional demand, a huge factor in Bitcoin's rise, Nikita Zuborev, senior analyst with BestChange.ru, said. And the emergence of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) gives major investors the opportunity to invest in cryptocurrency using the instruments they are used to, he added.
If the US’ soft monetary policy persists, Bitcoin's growth may continue but it may be halted by a sudden toughening of regulations or capital outflows from risky markets, Dmitry Savintsev, an analyst with Cryptorg cautioned. He forecasts Bitcoin as trading at $120,000-140,000 by the end of the year.
