© Igor Onuchin/TASS

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, June 8th, prepared by TASS

Vedomosti: Russia and Turkey close to mutual understanding on Ukrainian grain

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on June 8. The top diplomats will address "prospects for resuming Russian-Ukrainian peace negotiations" as well as Ukrainian grain shipments from ports that have been blocked due to Russia's special operation. A source close to the Ministry of Defense told Vedomosti, Ukraine is anticipated to demine the waters that restrict the operation of its Black Sea ports with the assistance of Turkish minesweepers and Russia will guarantee that it won’t interfere with the mine clearing and grain exports. Ukraine and the West may torpedo the Russian-Turkish initiative because they are pursuing goals other than grain exports, the source added. These objectives include accusing Russia of causing a famine and strengthening NATO's naval presence in the Black Sea under the pretext of helping to transport agricultural products.

Turkey usually positions itself as a "hub" of trade, logistics, energy, and now it also claims to be a food hub, Researcher at the Center for Near and Middle East Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences Amur Gadzhiev told Vedomosti. Turkey's proposals to resolve the crisis are serious, and Ankara understands it needs to act on its own - not as a NATO member - this is the only way will its efforts be recognized by Russia.

The US and the EU will probably not accept a possible Russian-Turkish grain export deal, Director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for United States Studies at Moscow State University Yury Rogulev told the newspaper. If Russian or Turkish vessels help export grain, the pretext for deepening intervention under the guise of solving a humanitarian problem will disappear, and this agreement will also provide a way for Moscow to circumvent some sanctions, Rogulev continues. At the same time, Washington understands that exporting this grain is a drop in the bucket for solving the global food crisis, for which they really want to blame Russia, the expert said.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Ukraine awaits decision on its EU candidacy

The European Commission has started considering Ukraine's application for EU membership. However, if the Brussels’ feedback is positive, then Kiev will most likely receive the status of member candidate at the upcoming EU summit on June 23-24. However, it is not a fact that after that, Ukraine will become a member of the European Union anytime soon, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has already called on Brussels to make a decision in favor of his country. There is some positive response to the Ukrainian application from the European Parliament. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen supports granting Ukraine candidate status. However, she also admitted that just reviewing the Ukrainian membership application may drag on longer than June.

Furthermore, Ukraine is in a completely unique position. None of the countries granted candidate status were at the time involved in an armed conflict. As a result, by agreeing to Ukraine's application, the European Commission will set a precedent.

However, the conflict with Russia does not necessarily close the way into the EU for the country, at least as far as the candidate status goes. Associate Professor at the MGIMO Department of Integration Processes Alexander Tevdoy-Burmuli told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that there are indeed disagreements about Ukraine's European integration into the EU. But there are also hints that the country may even be admitted to the European Union under an accelerated procedure. "Disagreements between EU members are a common situation. As a rule, the case ends with some kind of compromise. It will probably happen in the case of Ukraine as well," he said.

Kommersant: Biden White House facing mismanagement crisis

US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency due to a shortage of electricity, ordering the creation of new capacities for its production and increase purchases of solar panels in Asia. The emergency measures to meet consumer demand have been announced amid skyrocketing fuel prices that have doubled under President Biden. US media reports on a wave of challenges sweeping the United States, from a shortage of infant formula to a failure to enforce gun control, culminating in a governance crisis in the White House. Meanwhile, Joe Biden's rating has updated a historical low, being lower than that of Donald Trump, according to Kommersant.

Meanwhile, Biden is linking the surge in fuel prices, which accelerated inflation in the US to a 40-year high with the conflict in Ukraine and the associated shocks in the hydrocarbon market, and not with the miscalculations of his administration, the newspaper writes. Speaking last week at the White House about the lack of baby formula, Biden told reporters that in light of the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, he does not see the possibility of an early decline in consumer prices in the US.

Considering the general situation in the US during Biden’s presidency, Politico reports on a wave of problems that has swept the United States, which is triggering panic and a growing management crisis in the White House. Citing its White House sources, Politico wrote that Biden is expressing annoyance at polls that rate his performance more negatively than Donald Trump's.

Meanwhile, a survey released Sunday by Ipsos and ABC showed that only 37% of Americans were positive about the president's "economic recovery" policy. As for Biden’s actions regarding the "situation with Russia and Ukraine," 46% of those polled approve of the president’s policy, while 52% disapprove.

Kommersant: Russia's agricultural pivot towards Asia faces difficulties

Russia’s focus on Eastern markets, and China in particular, both in terms of food supplies and purchasing agricultural equipment, is still facing a number of difficulties, Kommersant writes. China expects to see an increase in supplies of agricultural machinery to Russia if their import is simplified, but the Ministry of Industry and Trade sees this as a threat to Russia’s industry. Meanwhile, Russian exports of agricultural products to China are also hampered by both China’s phytosanitary requirements and problems with banking transactions, as well as domestic Russian restrictions.

Russian experts say that the main difficulties with food supplies from Russia to China, as well as supplies of agricultural machinery to Russia include internal restrictions on Moscow’s part. At the same time, according to Sovecon, in physical terms, Russia is capable of supplying several hundred thousand tonnes of wheat to China, possibly up to 1 mln tonnes in the 2022-2023 season.

In addition, the duration of the stay of Chinese representatives in Russia slows the conclusion of agreements. Due to China’s policy of "zero tolerance" for COVID-19, crossing the border has now become difficult.

Director of the Center for Strategic Development of the Russian-Chinese Chamber Pavel Ustyuzhaninov believes that difficulties for Russian exports in the near future will be primarily related to banks, including conversion problems, difficulties with transactions, and the absence of banks that conduct them, as well as unresolved problems of compatibility of standards and removing restrictions on the supply of fertilizers from Russia to China.

Izvestia: Russia seeks to nationalize Ukrainian assets

The assets of Ukrainian officials and the military involved in the shelling of the territories of Russia and Donbass could be nationalized, according to a legislative appeal to the Russian government and the Investigative Committee. It is assumed that the confiscated funds should be used to compensate the victims. The architects of the appeal note that such a move by Moscow will be a symmetrical response to a law, signed by Vladimir Zelensky on the forced seizure of Russia’s property and its residents in Ukraine. The State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, generally supports the idea, stressing the need to develop a legal mechanism that would make it possible to preserve the institution of private property.

On May 11, the Ukrainian government decided to nationalize Russian property by transferring it to the National Investment Fund, created, in particular, to strengthen the country’s army. According to media reports, at the end of May, assets of Russia and Belarus worth more than $1 bln were arrested in Ukraine.

"A symmetrical response to the seizure of Russian assets in Ukraine should be a clear signal to other countries, which have already started to openly discuss how to dispose of Russia’s frozen wealth," Deputy from the Communist Party Sergey Obukhov told Izvestia.

The initiative should comply with international and Russian legislation, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on National Security and Anti-Corruption Anatoly Vyborny told Izvestia. "If we can develop a legal mechanism that, on the one hand, preserves the institution of private property, and on the other hand, makes it possible to turn assets into state revenue, then we all need to work on such solution," the politician said.