Russia and the West are developing non-traditional relations
The seventh participation package in sharing. But again there is no gas point in it. Kyiv is dissatisfied, Moscow assures that no restrictions are terrible, and Europe is stepping on the same gra, in fact, cutting itself off from energy flows. At the same time, Vladimir Putin is forced to personally negotiate new trade corridors. Iran. And learn from the experience of the Islamic Republic of life under sanctions.
The Council has implemented a new package to deal with Russia, including a partial embargo on gold. This is already the seventh set of counting restrictions adopted by the 27 EU member states. From now on, the purchase of Russian gold is frozen under the ban. But this is more of a symbolic move. The EU states do not buy this precious metal in Russia anyway. The package of observers itself determines rather not the seventh, but the sixth and a half, since the main part of its purpose does not so much lead to new results as it closes loopholes in the past. Other restrictions on gold include additional export controls, a freeze on Sberbank’s assets, and the blacklisting of more than 50 new individuals and entities. Including politicians, representatives of the military command, oligarchs, propagandists.
In Kyiv, the new borders were welcomed, but the countries Vladimir Zelensky believes that it is urgent to start developing the eighth package, which, according to the Ukrainian leader, should master the gas sector:
“This is not enough, and I speak frankly about this partner. Russia had to have a significant appreciation for the decision for her world to ask for it. We see what turned out to be a misguided policy of the leaders of European countries, representing Europe behind a false offer of gas from Russia. And while the EU does not dare to include gas in the sanctions packages, Russia uses gas for its solution against every European family, literally struggling with the family budget of European countries with pressure on energy emissions. Ukraine has always said that Russia cannot be accepted as a reliable gas supplier. And if our position had been listened to earlier, then we would not have had to look for emergency replenishment of the deficit that Russia artificially creates in the European market.”
Despite the toughness of Ukrainian diplomacy and Prime Minister Denys Shmygal personally, a ban on Russian gas imports to Europe was not included in the final version of the document.
In parallel with the EU, the UK also introduced its decision. In London, they added to gold the ban on coal imports, which will come into force on August 10, and oil – the kingdom will refuse to purchase hydrocarbon fuel from December 31.
In Moscow, they responded to the new package with a promise not to start and not to hand it over.
“Obviously, no sentences, even the most severe ones, in fact, have ever, in any part of the world, led to the fact that those countries against whom they adhere somehow changed their position. Moreover, this does not happen in our country either. But we see that he uses manic-technical observations, which are manifested in his personal interests. And, most importantly, not so much for their own interests, but for the harm to their population., – said the press secretary of the President of Russia. Dmitry Peskov.
At the same time, Gazprom resumed deliveries to Germany via Nord Stream after a 10-day break. In Moscow, the consumption of pumping is explained by scheduled repairs and the lack of spare parts, which is a consequence of the purchase in Europe. Resume pumping, in particular, to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, who recently visited Tehran, where measures have been taken with Iranian and Turkish colleagues on the geopolitical crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, speaking of gas, the Russian leader could not resist making rather inappropriate comparisons:
“I don’t know if it’s worth going into details about the situation with solar panels in European countries that have neglected the sensitivity to energy deviations and have supplied non-traditional ones. They are great experts in the field of non-traditional relations, so in the field of energy they also decided to make a project for non-traditional types of energy: the sun, wind energy. The winter was long, there was no wind – that’s all.
The examination considers that exports are exported to Europe. According to Bloomberg, supplies via Nord Stream will return to 40% of throughput, the level before repairs. But Europe is wary of the restart of the gas pipeline, the restrictions of the EU countries are related to possible restrictions on the reduction in the supply of Russian gas. On July 20, the EU announced a plan to reduce blue fuel consumption by 15%.
Yet, despite the Russian leader’s bravado, in Tehran, Vladimir Putin was clearly no different from a wealthy life. Despite the fact that Syria was announced as the main topic of the trilateral negotiations in the Astana format, the agenda of the individual meeting of the head of the Kremlin was precisely in Ukraine, the energy crisis and avoiding Western points of view. Since the beginning of the second movement, the Russian leader has gone into political self-isolation. The visit to Iran is the second foreign trip of the head of the Kremlin.
The meeting between the Russian and Turkish leaders was expected to be a breakthrough or a failure on the Ukrainian track, where Ankara was talking to a mediator. Putin, as usual, blamed the lack of progress in the Turkish-brokered peace talks on Kyiv:
“The end result, of course, depends not on the mediators, but on the desire of the contracting parties to implement the agreements reached. And we see today that the Kyiv authorities have no such desire.”
But Vladimir Putin clearly had a desire to enlist at least someone’s reaction to his military adventure. And he waited. True, not from a colleague, but from someone who has unlimited power in Iran. And, apparently, he understands the Kremlin centenarian like no one else. Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei objecting to the blame for unleashing the conflict in the West and, addressing the Russian president, said confidentially: “If you had not taken the initiative, then the other side would have arranged a war on its own initiative”.
For Putin, such a paraphrase of his own motto: “If a fight is inevitable, strike first,” apparently, it was very important to hear. Having essentially become a pariah of the RSM, the Russian leader grasps any allies like a straw. And the general “sanctioning” literally pushes Putin into the arms of Khamenei. Moreover, it is Iran that can theoretically become Russia’s corridor in the big world. Trained behind the conflict with Western trade in the world market, Tehran is now an example to follow. And Vladimir Putin, believing that Russian oil thrown into new markets also threatens the fragile growth of the Iranian economy, hastened to put all the blame on the energy crisis in the West:
“Now we hear all sorts of false ideas about limiting the volume of Russian oil, reducing the price of oil. It’s all the same thing that happens in gas. The result – even surprisingly, this is said by people with higher education – will be the same – a rise in prices. Oil prices will skyrocket.”
This development of events is mainly on the Iranian hand. The cherry on order from the President of Russia is the joint development of the Kish and North Pars gas fields, the completion of previously launched projects for the supply of liquefied gas and the construction of export gas pipelines. Iran gets access to new technologies for its revenues and hinders the development of gas exports. Putin can help.
But with the Turkish partner, not everything is so smooth. Ankara and Moscow are located on opposite sides in the Syrian and Libyan gardens. They also compete for influence in the South Caucasus. Turkish drones are very successful in helping the Ukrainian army destroy the Russian one. But Erdogan is trying to sit on two chairs. And today’s situation in Russia gives such an opportunity. Successful mediation in the export of the Ukrainian consumer is a chance for Ankara to strengthen its regional and global influence.
There are also benefits for Russia. If the West’s retaliatory move partially removes the favorites, then for Vladimir Putin this is another wave of concern in the Russian propaganda media, and, consequently, an increase in the internal rating:
“Restrictions related to the supply of Russian fertilizers to the world market have been lifted by the Americans, naturally removed. I hope the same if they are sincerely interested in increasing exports for exports for exports.”
The Russian leader proposes to use trilateral summits on problems that may arise in the near future. There are indeed common interests in Russia, Turkey and Iran. But there is no need to talk about guarantees of a long friendship.