© Vitaly Nevar/TASS

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, April 13th, prepared by TASS

Taiwan is dissatisfied with France for failing to support it against China; the US imposes further sanctions on Russian telecom and mining companies; and Russia's deputy foreign minister sees growing risks of a clash between Russia and NATO. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

Izvestia: Russian diplomat sees rising risk of Russia-NATO clash after Finns enter pact

Moscow believes it is premature to discuss the possible threat of nuclear weapons being deployed in Finland, but it is closely monitoring official comments and the security situation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with Izvestia. Furthermore, the diplomat stated that Helsinki's armed forces are being actively upgraded, and the risks of a collision between Russian and NATO forces are rising.

"Unfortunately, the dangers are growing. Everyone understands this. If we look at the development of the security situation in the Baltic region in recent years, this is just a very good example of how the calmest region in political and military terms has been transformed into a zone of military rivalry by the joint efforts of NATO," Grushko said. "After the Baltic states were admitted into the alliance, NATO began in a very consistent, step-by-step manner to transform this most peaceful region into a zone of heightened military activity," he added.

Grushko noted that Russia needs to build up its defense infrastructure along its border with Finland and that certain decisions in this regard have already been approved. "We will closely monitor any changes in the configuration of the armed forces based within Finland," he said.

Finland's accession to NATO will fuel the North Atlantic Alliance's aggressive ambitions in far northern Europe and the Arctic, "undermining the entire premise of constructive international cooperation in these regions," the diplomat believes.

Vedomosti: Taiwan unhappy with France's disinterest in helping it against China

The recent rhetoric of French President Emmanuel Macron, who stated following his visit to China that Europe is not interested in fast-tracking the resolution of the Taiwan issue, elicited a harsh response from the island state's leaders. At the same time, Macron's remarks about the need for Europe to gain strategic autonomy elicited a strong reaction across Europe, Vedomosti writes. European Council President Charles Michel stated, according to Politico, that Macron's statements represent a shift in the mindset of a number of European Union leaders, who are nevertheless reticent to go public with such ideas.

France has always tried to keep a healthy distance from the Taiwan issue, with trips by individual [French] parliamentarians to the island deemed an exception, Vasily Kashin of the Higher School of Economics (HSE University) told Vedomosti. According to the expert, such a policy of distancing itself from Asian disputes is logical. At the same time, it is crucial to see how France would act in a hypothetical discussion of the situation in the Taiwan Strait at the UN Security Council, as well as its position on Taiwan's membership in various international organizations. While the US may gripe at Macron's recent remarks, the big question is to what extent other European countries will back him up, he added.

According to Pavel Timofeev, head of the Sector for Regional Issues and Conflicts in the Department for European Political Studies at IMEMO, Macron's statements should be interpreted as political maneuvering rather than any significant shift in his views on Taiwan. France is still closer to the US, but Macron does not want to abandon Paris’ contacts with China. The situation also shows that the interests of the US and the EU do not always align as they have over the Ukrainian issue, the expert added.

Kommersant: US imposes fresh batch of sanctions on Russia’s telecom, mining companies

Russian mobile operator MegaFon and mining company Metalloinvest, both controlled by businessman Alisher Usmanov, became the largest Russian companies to face additional US sanctions on April 12. Metalloinvest, like most other Russian companies engaged in processing raw materials, began repositioning its business toward friendly markets last year. Experts told Kommersant that many companies around the world are willing to comply with sanctions against Russian companies in order to avoid being added to the list themselves.

MegaFon is one of the largest [Russian] holding companies on the US list of SDN [so-called "Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons"]. According to Alexander Sivolobov, deputy head of the Skoltech-based Center for Wireless Communication Technologies and IoT, a change in ownership could release the operator from sanctions, as was the case with Rusal. "However, it is worth noting that, even in this case, there are no guarantees," he added.

According to Kommersant's market source, the company's inclusion on the SDN list threatens it with the loss of direct roaming agreements with international carriers.

Metalloinvest, Russia's largest producer of iron ore and pellets, as well as its key assets, Udokan Copper and USM Gold, were also put under restrictions. The full impact of the sanctions on Metalloinvest will be noticeable only after some time has elapsed, Ilya Kolomeets, director of business development and consulting practices at Metals & Mining Intelligence, told Kommersant. He believes that the company will take further steps to grow its domestic market presence. Products with a high iron content are also in demand in China, Boris Krasnozhenov from Alfa-Bank noted. However, when rerouting volumes to China, the company will certainly face higher transportation costs, he added.

"In practice, many non-US and non-European companies voluntarily comply with US and EU restrictions, avoiding interactions with sanctioned individuals and companies so as not to be sanctioned themselves," Dmitry Pozin, corporate practice partner at Stonebridge Legal, told Kommersant.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: EU farmers protest duty-free imports of Ukrainian agro products

Polish farmers are continuing to demand that the government in Warsaw step in to regulate the issue of sales of Ukrainian grain at knock-down prices, rendering domestic products unable to compete. Most recently, farmers have blocked a border crossing used for Ukrainian grain imports, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. Meanwhile, farmers in neighboring countries would also like to bring back duties on all Ukrainian agricultural products. Analysts believe the European Commission is unlikely to agree to this, however.

The experts interviewed by the newspaper do not yet believe in the possibility of Brussels imposing duties on Ukrainian agricultural products, primarily for political reasons, because this would violate the EU's current policy of all-out support for Ukraine. Ekaterina Arapova, director of the Center for Sanctions Policy Expertise at MGIMO University, thinks that the idea of imposing taxes on Ukrainian imports would at least be raised for discussion.

The unwillingness of European authorities and the Kiev leadership to prevent Ukrainian dumping has led to a deadlock, in which the finger is still being pointed at Russia as the main culprit within the framework of the Black Sea grain [deal], Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

The latest extension of the "grain deal" expires on May 18, and as that date draws near, tension around the "grain issue" will rise. At the same time, most participants in a recent roundtable discussion on the subject highlighted that the agreement does not serve Russia's interests and opposed its extension, Ivan Skorikov, head of the Ukraine department at the Institute of CIS Countries, told the newspaper.

Izvestia: Charges against Trump may boost his prospects in Republican primaries

After a New York grand jury charged former US President Donald Trump with 34 felony counts, a significant ramp-up of additional investigations involving the former US president can be expected, experts told Izvestia. At the same time, the former US chief executive is expected to return to New York on April 13 to testify in a civil complaint filed by the state's attorney general. Nevertheless, Trump’s legal troubles could actually help him win the Republican primaries, the newspaper writes.

Program Coordinator of the Russian International Affairs Council Konstantin Sukhoverkhov told the newspaper he believes some cases against Trump could have been "accelerated" amid the criminal charges filed earlier in the month. "This is necessary to damage Trump’s reputation. The fact is that everything that happens is by definition politicized for his voters, even if the crime was actually committed," the expert explained.

Trump himself has said that he will not withdraw from the 2024 presidential race even if he is found guilty. Meanwhile, Peter Kuznick, professor of history at American University in Washington, believes that this is just the beginning, and that more allegations may come soon. However, this would only boost Trump’s support and help him win the primaries, the expert believes.