Top stories in the Russian press on Friday, July 26, prepared by TASS

Izvestia: Tanker seizure to complicate Russian-Ukrainian dialogue further

The illegal detention of a Russian tanker by Ukraine’s Security Service is an attempt to secure the release of the Ukrainian sailors arrested during the Kerch Strait incident, Izvestia writes. Kiev aims to do it on its own terms, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma (lower house) Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, Viktor Volodatsky, told the paper. He also stressed that Kiev’s actions violated international law.

"This is a challenge thrown down to us by the current administration in Kiev to blackmail Russia in the matter of the Ukrainian sailors who violated our country’s territorial waters. Russia will seek the release of its vessel," he said.

Judging by the fact that officials in Kiev released the tanker’s crew, they realized what reckless step they had taken and decided to backtrack, the lawmaker went on to say. He added that the incident should be discussed by the UN Security Council, because Ukraine’s actions pose a threat to the safety of navigation in the Danube region.

The detention of the Russian tanker could be masterminded by Pyotr Poroshenko’s supporters, Ukrainian lawmaker Vadim Novinsky, who is Kiev’s envoy to PACE, told the paper.

"The developments that have occurred since President Zelensky’s inauguration have allowed for cautious optimism that relations will be gradually mended. The phone call between the two leaders made that optimism stronger. However, the seizure of the tanker puts everything in jeopardy," Novinsky explained.

Meanwhile, member of the German Bundestag Waldemar Herdt noted that Kiev’s actions would exacerbate the situation in the run-up to a new potential round of the Normandy talks. "I hoped that the Ukrainian president’s full power would help him prevent incidents similar to those that occurred under his predecessor. Apparently, that is not the case," Izvestia quotes him as saying.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Shanghai to host new round of US-Chinese talks

China’s industry lost two million jobs last year because of the trade war with the United States. However, Beijing has no intention of changing its policy to win Washington’s favor, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. The next US-Chinese meeting will be held in its commercial capital Shanghai instead of Beijing. The change of the negotiation venue is symbolic. China makes it clear to its partners that trade disputes should not be politicized and that its economy is strong despite a slight slowdown in its growth rates.

Although US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping showed willingness to come to terms with each other during their recent meeting in Japan, disagreements between the two countries continue to be substantial. Washington accuses Beijing of failing to keep its promises, while China insists that the Americans demand too much.

"The problems in the US-Chinese relations are very complex. They are structural," Alexander Lomanov, Chief Research Fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the paper.

Shanghai, a metropolis with its fantastic skyscrapers, is a more convincing illustration of Chinese prosperity than rigorous metropolitan Beijing, the expert pointed out. China’s desire to hold the next round of consultations there is understandable. On the other hand, this indicates that no important agreements that would involve officials from the Ministry of Commerce and other government agencies are expected to be signed this time.

"Neither side is ready to give in. Shanghai’s landscape should remind the Americans that China is a country that has gained economic strength," Lomanov concluded.

Izvestia: Boris Johnson’s Cabinet poised for Brexit

The advent of the new government in the UK gives grounds for hope that Brexit could be completed by October 31, 2019, said the experts interviewed by Izvestia. They pointed out that, in contrast with Theresa May, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed proponents of Brexit to key positions in his Cabinet.

"He appointed those with whom he clearly has common goals and with whom he can reach an agreement," Lyudmila Babynina, Head of the Center for Political Integration Studies, explained.

During his first speech at 10 Downing Street, Johnson vowed to steer his country out of the European Union by the end of October. According to Babynina, the new composition of the government, which consists mostly of Eurosceptics, shows that the prime minister is determined to keep his promise.

"Theresa May’s Cabinet included both moderate supporters of a soft approach to the EU and proponents of a ‘hard Brexit.’ Boris Johnson tried to avoid such duality and decided to form a government that would have a more a less equal stance," the expert pointed out.

According to the Program Director at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), Ivan Timofeyev, London’s primary goal now is to minimize the effects of Brexit, whatever form it takes. Resumption of talks with Brussels could be a solution to the problem, because neither Britain nor the EU can be in limbo indefinitely, the expert added.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Ex-Kyrgyz president gets security guarantees in Moscow

Kyrgyzstan’s former leader Almazbek Atambayev is gearing up for the upcoming parliamentary elections after receiving security guarantees during his visit to Moscow, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. At his meeting with Putin, Atambayev assured that he was ready to negotiate with incumbent President Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

Russia is concerned about the ongoing standoff between the two political heavyweights - Jeenbekov and Atambayev - which poses a threat to Kyrgyzstan’s stability. Moscow doesn’t want Kyrgyzstan to become a second Afghanistan. Despite Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s statement that Russia does not interfere in the affairs of a sovereign nation, Putin, nevertheless, had to talk with both Jeenbekov and Atambayev, the paper writes.

"In fact, the Russian leader proposed Jeenbekov to integrate Atambayev into the system, pool efforts and work for the good of Russia, and that spells stability in Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, it became clear to everyone that Atambayev was granted ‘absolution’ in Moscow and can be active in politics," Igor Pankratenko, Deputy Director General of the Moscow Center for Strategic Assessments and Forecasts, told the paper.

For his part, Dmitry Orlov, Director General of the East-West Strategy analytical center, noted that the former president’s visit to the Kremlin was an unprecedented event in the history of post-Soviet countries. "To begin with, Putin showed in deeds that he is a politician of a global scale. Secondly, by receiving Atambayev, he showed that he supported the former president and his policies. Atambayev’s return will mean that he received personal security guarantees from Putin, and the upcoming 2020 parliamentary elections will indicate who runs the show," he told the paper.

Kommersant: Russia’s nuclear energy agency eyeing year-round Northern Sea Route navigation

Year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route, including its eastern section, will begin by 2030, Kommersant writes citing data provided by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation. By that time, at least 20 mln tonnes of LNG will be transported to Asia via the eastern part of the Northern Sea Route all year round.

Although Kommersant’s sources in the industry are skeptical about the feasibility of this project, Novatek, the largest shipper on this route, expects year-round deliveries along the Northern Sea Route to begin by the mid-2020s.

A source in the company informed the paper that its cargo would provide more than a half (55%) of the Northern Sea Route’s estimated capacity by 2024.

Novatek expects to commission a transshipment complex in Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Region by 2023, which implies year-round navigation.

Mikhail Grigoryev, Director of the GECON consulting company, recalled that, according to Novatek’s plans, the completion of the construction of five nuclear ice-breakers by 2027, would make it possible to ensure year-round transportation of LNG along the Northern Sea Route to the terminal in Kamchatka.

On the other hand, the expert noted that cargo traffic could reach 80 mln tonnes by 2024 only if all announced projects, including the Vostokugol and Severnaya Zvezda coal projects as well as Vostok Oil, were implemented.

If these projects are carried out, they would require icebreaker support in the south-west of the Kara Sea, the expert added.