© Sebastian Apel/U.S. Department of Defense via AP/TASS

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, December 15th, prepared by TASS

The EU continues to negotiate price limitations for Russian gas and oil amid the Ukraine conflict, while the US considers sharing its Patriot missile defense system with Kiev, and Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan set their sights on reviving the Trans-Caspian pipeline. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: EU summit to focus on Ukraine, energy crisis

On Thursday, EU leaders will convene in Brussels for the final time this year to debate the Ukraine conflict, the energy crisis, the EU's short-to medium-term strategic autonomy objectives, granting Bosnia and Herzegovina admission candidate status, and Kosovo's bid. Although the ninth package of sanctions on Russia is not on the summit's official agenda, increased pressure on Moscow in light of the situation in Ukraine will undoubtedly be a priority, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

Support for Ukraine upholding its sovereignty and territorial integrity remains the dominant policy of the European Union. In this context, EU leaders are expected to discuss further military, financial, and humanitarian support for Kiev.

Meanwhile, the draft of the ninth package of anti-Russian restrictions, was presented last week by the European Commission, including personal sanctions against 200 individuals and legal entities, three Russian banks and four TV channels, restrictions on the export of dual-use goods to Russia. The package will also include the much-disputed price cap on Russian oil. However, the EU energy ministers failed to agree on the maximum price for Russian gas on Tuesday.

"The debates in the EU on the ninth package before summit showed that it would not be easy to reach a consensus on a list of new sanctions against Russia," Head of IMEMO’s European Political Studies Department Nadezhda Arbatova told the newspaper. "Some EU member states are concerned about the detrimental impact of restrictions on the European economy, while others are concerned about the risk of the war spreading globally. Hungary, for example, which relies on cheap Russian energy, has asked for an easing of the sanctions regime and has refused to participate in a number of them," she added.

According to the expert, the EU leaders simply do not want to make internal disagreements public and will develop a consensus on this issue at a working level.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: NATO ready to share Patriot missile systems with Ukraine

According to Western media, Washington could announce the delivery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine this week. Berlin might make a similar decision, though earlier it wanted to leave these systems to safeguard NATO's skies. Russian military analysts believe this could be a possible turn of events, they told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

According to CNN, which cited a senior White House official, the Biden administration is putting the finishing touches on supplies of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. The United States will most likely supply Kiev with one Patriot battery in order to test the system in real-world combat settings, according to Alexey Leonkov, editor-in-chief of the Arsenal Otechestva magazine. This is especially significant because the US is currently involved in a promising program for an updated air defense system, which uses significant funds, according to the expert.

If the United States takes such a step, it may influence Germany's stance on the matter. Usually, all military aid for Ukraine was shipped from European warehouses rather than across the ocean from the United States, Leonkov added. It also aided in simplifying and reducing logistics costs. In this case, Washington can also donate European complexes - one of them could be supplied from the US, and the second one either from Germany or Poland. That said, the expert suggested that the new systems will affect the efficiency of Russian strikes against Ukrainian targets, but not in a significant way.

Vedomosti: Turkey eyes reviving Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project

Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, and Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan met for the first time on December 14 in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan. The three presidents discussed gas supply difficulties and once again highlighted the unfinished Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project for deliveries from Turkmenistan to the EU via Azerbaijan and Turkey, Vedomosti writes.

Erdogan declared his intention to begin work on bringing Turkmen natural gas to Western markets. Since 1999, Turkey has actively participated in discussions of an underground Trans-Caspian gas pipeline with a capacity of 30 bln cubic meters per year that would run through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Europe, and interest in the project resurfaced in 2011. According to Nikita Blokhin, senior analyst at Alfa Bank, Turkey is keen on diversifying supplies to its planned gas hub as much as possible for potential re-export to Europe.

According to Stanislav Pritchin, a senior researcher at the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at IMEMO, gas from Turkmenistan would be a great help to the EU, given the current geopolitical situation. However, Erdogan is interested in more than just economic aims. According to the expert, the Turkish leader wishes to include Turkmenistan in structures regulated by Ankara, such as the Organization of Turkic States, where Turkmenistan is an observer.

However, Turkey's serious problem is that it is unable to invest on a real scale in either transport or mining infrastructure, Pritchin added.

Vedomosti: Russian e-scooter company holds first IPO in 2022

Whoosh (Wush Holding PJSC), a Russian electric scooter rental service, held its first Russian IPO this year on December 14. Investors contributed 2.1 bln rubles ($32.56 mln) to the enterprise, but the total volume of the IPO was half of what was initially anticipated - up to 5 bln rubles ($77.52 mln). Meanwhile, the company's market capitalization increased to 20.6 bln rubles ($319.4 mln) as a result of the placement. Considering that this is the first placement in 2022 on the Russian market, it can be called relatively successful, experts told Vedomosti.

Evgeny Kalyanov, an expert on the stock market at BCS World of Investments, deemed the event to be successful. However, the expert believes another IPO boom in the Russian market should not be expected in the near future. The company is entering the market amid challenging circumstances and at a difficult time for the economy, so the mere fact of joining the market is significant, international market analyst at Otkritie Investments Ivan Avseiko added.

According to Georgy Vashchenko, deputy director of the analytical department at Freedom Finance Global, the fact that an IPO was held on the Russian market is already good news. Given that, he would not rule out that small and medium-cap companies will be the first to go public next year.

Izvestia: Is Siemens staying in Russia

Part of the Siemens concern, Siemens Zdravookhraneniye, has submitted an application to Russia’s State Commission for Radio Frequencies to use an additional range for high-frequency devices, Izvestia reported. The frequency could be needed for the operation of physiotherapy equipment and systems for cancer treatment, experts explained. The application for frequencies from Siemens may indicate that the company is counting on a long-term presence in Russia, experts believe.

The unwillingness of Siemens, which has been operating in Russia since the middle of the 19th century, to completely leave the market is understandable, CEO of TelecomDaily Denis Kuskov told the newspaper. "The return may not be easy, the medical equipment market is competitive - there is a parallel import of products from Western vendors, Chinese companies are interested in deliveries to Russia. There is also a clear trend towards import substitution of medical equipment in Russia," he said.

Complex and costly medical equipment can also last for decades. Furthermore, Kuskov believes that it would be unethical for Siemens, as a business with a substantial share of the medical equipment market, to exit the market without offering support.

There are signs that the companies that announced their withdrawal from Russia are continuing their activity in the country, but masking it, head of the Content-Review project Sergey Polovnikov told Izvestia. Siemens' application for frequencies may reflect the company's aspirations for a long-term presence in Russia, he added.