Moscow forms a delegation ahead of talks with the US in Riyadh on March 24; the European Union fails to approve a new aid package for Ukraine; and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is anticipated to visit Russia in early April. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia, according to TASS news agency.
Izvestia: Moscow assembles strong delegation ahead of talks with US in Riyadh
The next round of discussions between Russia and the United States is scheduled for March 24. Moscow has assembled an expert group for consultations with representatives from Washington. Russia has put together a very formidable team that will assert and defend its position with accuracy and clarity, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Sergey Kislyak told Izvestia.
The Russian delegation will be led by Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Grigory Karasin and Advisor to the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Sergey Beseda.
"I firmly believe that we have a very strong team, and it will assert and support [our] position with clarity and precision," Sergey Kislyak told Izvestia.
Among other issues, the two delegations will discuss aspects of a possible revival of the Black Sea initiative. Meanwhile, Brussels insists on having a seat at the negotiating table but continues its belligerent rhetoric. Kiev, for its part, remains unwilling to make compromises - on March 20, Ukrainian drones once again targeted Russian rear positions. Nonetheless, Moscow hopes that the United States has taken note of Russia’s calls to halt military aid and the provision of intelligence to Kiev.
"At this moment, there is more common ground between Russia and the United States than between Washington and Brussels or Washington and Kiev. The leaders could have discussed not only the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict but also security guarantees for Russia," Konstantin Blokhin, senior research fellow at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the newspaper.
However, risks remain. Svetlana Savranskaya, Director of Russian Programs at the National Security Archive at George Washington University, warns that the US administration may take a significantly firmer stance if the negotiations drag on.
American historian and former Harvard University lecturer Vladimir Brovkin sees economic motivations behind the rapprochement between Moscow and Washington. "Russia is a key factor in global oil prices. Trump needs stable prices, as they directly affect energy costs. When energy is affordable, it becomes more advantageous to manufacture goods in the United States," he believes.
Meanwhile, Brussels, through its aggressive rhetoric and active positioning as Ukraine’s principal partner, seeks to secure a place at the negotiating table, Sergey Shein, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the Higher School of Economics, told the newspaper.
Izvestia: EU once again fails to approve military aid package for Kiev
The March 20 summit in Brussels once again exposed deep divisions among European Union member states, Izvestia writes. At the conclusion of the meeting, the bloc failed to approve the provision of 2 mln artillery shells for Ukraine, valued at 5 bln euros. Furthermore, the EU had previously been unable to reach consensus on a broader military aid package of 20-40 bln euro. The only point of agreement among the summit’s participants was that military assistance should be provided voluntarily.
The Kremlin noted that Europe has effectively become a "party of war" and has no interest in engaging in a peace process for Ukraine. European lawmakers also expressed regret to Izvestia that the EU continues to build up its military capabilities in an atmosphere of pervasive Russophobia.
As at the March 7 summit, Hungary was the only EU member state to withhold its signature from the communique, which reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to a "peace through strength" approach toward Russia. The document also endorsed further sanctions against Moscow, the continued freezing of Russian assets, and Ukraine’s future membership in the EU.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Estonia confirmed to Izvestia that in recent years, the country’s authorities have been upgrading NATO infrastructure. "We must acknowledge the continued increase in government spending to strengthen Estonia’s military capabilities, including through higher tax burdens on the population," Russian diplomats stated.
Some European lawmakers argue that individual EU nations should not obstruct others from enhancing their military potential, particularly if this reduces US dominance in European security matters. Slovakian Member of the European Parliament Lubos Blaha explained his country’s stance to Izvestia. At the same time, the politician regrets that the discussions on Europe's defense capabilities are taking place in an atmosphere of extreme Russophobia.
"We are determined to do everything possible to block this anti-Russian pressure and, on the contrary, we are trying to develop communication and cooperation with Russia as much as possible," he said.
At the same time, such a plan is obviously not suitable for all EU countries, as Kyriakos Velopoulos, member of the national parliament from the Greek Solution party, confirmed to Izvestia.
Vedomosti: Chinese Foreign Minister plans visit to Russia amid US talks
China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi is expected to visit Russia, likely in early April 2025, a Russian diplomatic source confirmed this to Vedomosti, with another well-informed source confirming the probability of the visit. On February 20, following talks between Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in South Africa, both sides agreed to hold their next meeting in Russia.
According to Andrey Karneev, head of the School of Asian Studies at the Higher School of Economics, Wang’s visit will likely serve not only as preparation for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip to Moscow but also as an opportunity to exchange views on global issues - both regional, including the conflict in Ukraine, and bilateral.
Karneev noted that China’s relations with Europe are currently far better than those with the United States, which is why Chinese officials, in discussions with their European counterparts, have been making diplomatic advances in favor of Europe’s involvement in negotiations. However, he argues that such engagement is not a fundamental priority for Beijing per se.
At the same time, Karneev acknowledges that within China’s expert community, there are concerns that negotiations between Russia and the United States could theoretically have adverse implications for Sino-Russian relations. Nevertheless, the prevailing view in China is that the strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing has been steadily developing for years, and the outcome of the dialogue between Moscow and Washington remains highly uncertain.
Should Wang Yi proceed with his visit, his primary objective would be to refine the logistical and diplomatic details of President Xi’s forthcoming trip to Moscow, senior research fellow at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yana Leksyutina told Vedomosti.
A secondary yet significant aspect of the visit, she added, would be discussions on the evolving dynamics of US-Russia relations, which Beijing is closely monitoring. For China, the key concern is how these developments might, in theory, impact Sino-Russian relations. Additionally, Wang Yi’s agenda in Russia is expected to include deliberations on potential avenues for resolving the Ukrainian conflict as a whole, Leksyutina concluded.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Armenian PM races to sign peace treaty as Azerbaijan insists on preconditions
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has proposed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev the immediate commencement of consultations on signing the finalized draft of a peace treaty. He also emphasized his readiness to formally approve the document. In doing so, the Armenian leader has responded to calls from the international community for a swift conclusion to the peace agreement, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. However, Azerbaijan continues to demand that its preconditions be fulfilled before proceeding.
President of the European Council Antonio Costa has also urged Yerevan and Baku to accelerate the treaty’s signing. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense continues to report suspected shelling by Armenian forces. Since March 16, such reports have been surfacing multiple times a day.
"Pashinyan must overcome one final obstacle before signing the agreement - the need to amend Armenia’s Constitution. While he has already acknowledged this requirement, he plans to resolve the issue only after the parliamentary elections in 2026. However, given the rapid developments in both global and regional affairs, a year is a long time for constitutional changes," head of the Azerbaijani political research center Atlas Elkhan Shahinoglu told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
According to the expert, the recent surge in ceasefire violations has only heightened tensions in the region. "There are factions within the Armenian military that do not answer to Pashinyan and have no interest in peace. In my view, they are the ones violating the ceasefire. If Pashinyan is unable to control his armed forces, that is his problem. Should ceasefire violations continue to escalate, the signing of the peace agreement will be postponed, and the risk of a new war in the region will increase," Shahinoglu warned.
Political analyst Tigran Kocharyan believes that Pashinyan is eager to conclude the peace treaty because he is preparing for potential early parliamentary elections. "To remain prime minister, he must secure a peace deal in time. Otherwise, he will be unable to form a ruling coalition around himself. Pashinyan is also concerned that Russia and the United States might soon reach an agreement on Ukraine, after which Moscow could begin to reinforce its influence in the South Caucasus - something that would negatively impact his hold on power," the expert told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
Asian nations have increased their crude oil purchases from alternative suppliers, including Kazakhstan, following the tightening of sanctions against the fleet transporting Russian oil, according to a report by Argus. As a result, shipments of CPC Blend crude oil to Asia jumped by 40-45% in February and are expected to continue rising in March. This trend is impacting freight costs in the Black Sea, where growing tanker shortages could push rates even higher, Kommersant writes. Meanwhile, Russia is expanding its exports to India while slightly reducing shipments to China.
The rise in shipments from Kazakhstan to China, South Korea, and other Asian nations is lengthening vessel charter durations, thereby reducing available tanker capacity in the region and driving up freight rates in the Black Sea, analysts from Price Index Center noted.
Since mid-January 2025, freight costs for Suezmax tankers from Novorossiysk to India and China have grown by $0.3 per barrel. By mid-March, rates had stabilized at $7.4 per barrel for shipments to India and $9.5 per barrel for China. "The increase in rates remains moderate for now, but the ongoing tightening of vessel availability in the region could trigger a sharper increase," Senior Analyst at the Price Index Center Alexey Politov told the newspaper.
According to the Price Index Center calculations, while Russian oil exports to India increased by 12% month-over-month in February, seaborne shipments to China fell by 10-12%. Meanwhile, exports to Turkey - the third-largest consumer of Russian oil - plummeted by nearly half in February compared to January and dwindled to only a handful of tanker shipments by March.
Alexey Politov highlighted several factors currently influencing freight costs. The main one among them is shipowners’ desire to offset the risks associated with transporting Russian crude under sanctions. According to the Price Index Center estimates, freight rates from the Baltic to India have risen from approximately $7 per barrel at the beginning of the year to $10.5 per barrel.
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