© SANA via AP/TASS

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, March 6th, prepared by TASS

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to pay an official visit to Russia in mid-March, China opens its "two sessions" centered on economic growth, and Trump focused on domestic issues instead of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in his CPAC speech. These stories topped Monday's newspaper headlines across Russia.

Vedomosti: Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad planning visit to Moscow

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will pay an official visit to Russia in mid-March, Vedomosti learned from an informed diplomatic source. According to a source close to the Russian presidential administration, Russian President Vladimir Putin may also meet with him.

Experts interviewed by Vedomosti believe that Assad's visit to Moscow will focus on humanitarian issues and relations. According to Kirill Semenov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, Assad is likely to ask for Russia's help in dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. They may also discuss using Moscow's surplus oil products to help Syria overcome its severe fuel crisis. In the past, Tehran has provided Damascus with funds, including for settlements with Moscow, the expert added.

In addition, the parties will discuss bilateral relations against the backdrop of the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, Semenov added. In his opinion, it is crucial for the parties to compare positions and find common ground, especially now that Damascus has begun an active discourse with Oman, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries.

Finally, the leaders may discuss further steps to normalize relations between Damascus and Ankara, with Russia acting as a mediator, Nikolay Surkov, senior researcher at the Center for Middle East Studies at IMEMO RAS believes. Turkey is interested in continuing the dialogue despite the fact that Syria has imposed strict conditions on how the Turks should behave in the north of the country, he added.

Izvestia: China set to discuss government shakeup, work agenda

China's main domestic political event of the year, the "two sessions," has begun. The National People's Congress (NPC) convened on March 5 and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) met the day before. According to Vedomosti, the main focus will be on the NPC session, which will approve the leadership of the country's executive branch for the next five years.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow has been postponed due to the "two sessions," according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Wall Street Journal reported that the parties are now looking at April or early May for the visit.

The Chinese government announced a 5% GDP growth target for 2023, while the defense budget will grow at a faster rate - by 7.2% compared to 2022. China's main goal at the moment is to ensure economic recovery growth, so economic and financial restrictions from the Chinese side are currently out of the question, head of the School of Oriental Studies at the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs Andrey Karneev believes.

China also intends to pursue an independent and peaceful foreign policy, seeking friendship and cooperation with all countries. It was reiterated that Beijing would promote relations with Taiwan and "the process of peaceful reunification", while firmly opposing "Taiwanese independence."

"It is worth noting that the defense budget is growing; the year-on-year increase is nearly $2 bln. The budget for foreign diplomacy has also increased by 12.2%, which is expected to bolster it," Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University Alexey Maslov told the newspaper.

Izvestia: 'The Taliban are a reality, so we are working with them' - Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan

Terrorism has become a way of life in Afghanistan, and in the six months since the explosion at the Russian Embassy in Kabul, terrorists have become even more brazen, Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov said in an interview with Izvestia. At the same time, in his opinion, the promises of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia, under UN sanctions for terrorist activities) to fight terrorism after taking power have so far been stalled by the US’ financial blockade of Afghanistan.

"The US plundered Afghan banking assets. … These accounts held about $10 bln, an astronomical amount for a poor country where two-thirds of the population lives on $1 a day. So, the Taliban have nothing with which to fight against terrorism," the ambassador said.

According to him, Russia has concerns about "the representation of ethno-political forces in the government, as well as the situation with women's rights." "Nevertheless, the Taliban are a reality. That is why we are working with them. It is important for us to have stability in Afghanistan, and the people also need help. We have delivered a large amount of humanitarian aid and are supplying fuel and food," he added.

Speaking about the level of relations between Moscow and Kabul, the diplomat said that Russia has established working contacts with the Taliban authorities. "There was a large delegation from several Russian ministries in Kabul. Negotiations were held in Moscow and Kazan with the Afghan Minister of Industry and Trade. The Russian president's special representative for Afghanistan flew here several times. Last summer, the Afghan Chamber of Commerce sent its first delegation to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum," he said, adding that these measures helped increase trade turnover by 40% year-on-year.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Trump decides to focus on domestic issues instead of Russia

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the Washington suburbs showed that Donald Trump's opponents are too quick to write him off. He is still very popular in the Republican Party, and as the conference demonstrated, Trump strongly expects to be a shoo-in for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. In terms of foreign policy, the ex-president is beginning to position himself as the only person capable of quickly resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In his speech, Trump confirmed his intention to run for president and noted that the 2024 elections will be crucial for the US. The foreign policy part of his speech is worth taking note of, as he emphasized the importance of achieving peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. At the same time, Trump does not see the conflict with Russia as part of a global struggle between the forces of good and evil, democracy and authoritarianism.

Trump portrays himself as a candidate for peace, not war, according to Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for US and Canadian Studies. "To what extent this may play to his advantage, it is difficult to say.. It should be noted that the demonization of Trump by his opponents was based on the fact that he was supposedly a loose cannon. ... Trump is now showing that he is not an unpredictable politician," the expert told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

At the same time, Vasilyev noted that CPAC has pivoted in its approach to the Trump campaign, recalling Trump's visit to Ohio after the February 3 chemical train accident. "I think this visit was the deciding factor in garnering the support of so many CPAC candidates," he said.

Kommersant: Novatek ready to enter Sakhalin-2 with Shell’s stake

Novatek is ready to acquire 27.5% in the Sakhalin-2 project from Shell, which has left Russia, according to Kommersant's sources familiar with the situation. The selection of the new owner of this stake was delayed because the government did not have time to assess the damage caused to the project by the foreign shareholder. Novatek has asked for the process to be accelerated. However, it is unclear how Novatek will recoup potential investments in Sakhalin-2, in particular whether it will receive Shell's lucrative long-term contract to receive 1 mln tons of LNG from Sakhalin-2.

The government has estimated the value of Shell's stake at 94.8 bln rubles ($1.25 bln), which is close to the company's assessment ($1.6 bln), taking into account the ruble exchange rate for the summer of 2022. At the same time, it is unclear whether the entire amount will be transferred to Shell, because the government must conduct an "environmental, technological and other audit" of Shell's activities in Russia to assess the damage to the project - the amount of damage should be deducted from the funds that Shell can receive for its share.

At the moment, the Sakhalin-2 operator is selling on the spot market volumes previously supplied under a long-term contract with Shell. What will happen to these volumes if Novatek joins the project is still unknown, Kommersant writes. Sources told the newspaper that Novatek would benefit from adding them to its portfolio.

However, other shareholders in the project, including Gazprom, may be interested in returning Shell's volumes to the project's general pool and still selling them on the spot market, thus distributing the profits among all participants in Sakhalin-2.