MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Russia signals its readiness for peace talks with Ukraine and the US as Europe risks being sidelined; Iran warns of retaliation amid reports of a possible US-Israeli attack after the midterms; and Hungary puts the Paks II nuclear project on hold, leaving Rosatom uncertain about its future. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Putin signals readiness for Ukraine peace talks as EU risks being sidelined
The goal of negotiations with the United States and Ukraine will be to achieve a lasting peace settlement and guarantee Russia’s security, President Vladimir Putin said. He stressed that the discussions should also address Europe’s security architecture as a whole. Moscow places great value on Washington’s mediation efforts, while the Kremlin previously said a meeting could take place in mid-November. Nevertheless, the final say will rest with the parties directly involved in the conflict, as Russia and Ukraine will ultimately have to reach an agreement themselves, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia.
"The president has repeatedly said that, ultimately, it will be the Ukrainian and Russian sides that reach an agreement. The United States, in this case, is offering its good offices. It is therefore creating the conditions for an agreement and, accordingly, the necessary environment for the parties to reach a deal," Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador-at-large at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.
Possible trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi in November are unlikely to bring the conflict closer to an end, according to Bogdan Bezpalko, political scientist and member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations. He said he saw no signs that Kiev was prepared to negotiate. If the meeting takes place, it could conclude without substantial progress, producing only agreements on specific humanitarian issues. The expert also noted that the talks might not take place at all, as Ukraine has not altered its position.
Meanwhile, Kiev’s European partners are continuing their efforts to become part of the negotiating process. According to Politico, EU countries are concerned about their role in a potential settlement of the conflict and are trying to choose a single representative to speak for the bloc in the discussions.
Europe is struggling to find a candidate with sufficient political influence who has not been undermined by staunch support for Ukraine or harsh criticism of Russia, political scientist Malek Dudakov believes. Europe fears a resumption of direct dialogue between Russia and the United States that would leave European representatives on the sidelines.
"Although Zelensky is rapidly losing support among Western public opinion, European leaders continue to offer their unconditional backing to Ukraine’s incumbent president," Fernand Kartheiser, a member of the European Parliament from Luxembourg, told Izvestia.
Vedomosti: New US-Israeli attack on Iran possible after midterm elections amid diplomatic deadlock
Iran is prepared for a new round of armed conflict with the United States and Israel, and if hostilities resume, enemy casualties will be "dozens of times higher" than in previous months, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Islamic Republic’s Supreme National Security Council, told online publication Drop Site. According to him, the Americans still have valuable assets in the region, particularly data centers and undersea internet cables. He also did not rule out fresh strikes against the energy infrastructure of Persian Gulf countries. His remarks came amid reports in Western media of a US-Israeli military operation being planned for after the November 3 congressional midterm elections, Vedomosti writes.
Ilya Vaskin, junior research fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern, Caucasian and Central Asian Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, believes Tehran has sufficient military defensive capabilities to repel another potential US-Israeli attack. Therefore, he said, it is highly unlikely that enemy aggression would force Tehran to negotiate on Washington’s terms. At most, the parties would continue their backchannel dialogue, about which little is known, the Iran specialist said.
"I would not rule out the possibility that the adversaries will refrain from launching another round of violence. We have too little information, and the potential costs of the conflict far outweigh the benefits. The current regional status quo may persist, with the leaders of both countries continuing to exchange bellicose statements," he told Vedomosti.
A joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran is entirely possible amid a stalemate in negotiations caused by irreconcilable differences between the parties’ positions, research fellow at the Center for Middle East Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) Alexey Yurk said.
"It is difficult to say whether such a strategy could break the negotiating deadlock. It might only lead Washington and Tehran to harden their positions. But both sides understand that there are currently no other options for breaking the impasse," the expert said.
Yurk did not rule out that reports in Western media about a planned US-Israeli strike on Iran could be deliberate information leaks intended to undermine Trump and the Republicans in the midterm elections, given the negative attitudes toward the war among undecided American voters. However, the political scientist believes this does not in itself mean that such plans are not being discussed at the White House and the Pentagon.
Izvestia: Hungary ignores Rosatom’s requests for talks on Paks II nuclear plant
Hungarian authorities have not responded to Rosatom’s requests for negotiations over the Paks II nuclear power plant project, the Russian state corporation’s CEO Alexey Likhachev told Izvestia. He stressed that Rosatom intends to build the plant as quickly as possible and avoid legal proceedings. However, the Hungarian authorities have effectively suspended progress on the project to conduct an audit and determine its future.
"We have officially informed the Hungarian government, repeatedly informing it of our readiness and our requests for negotiations, but so far we have received no response," Likhachev stressed.
As a result, uncertainty still surrounds the future of the project. "In the absence of any concrete signals from the Hungarian government, there is currently a nonzero probability of both the project moving forward with even greater momentum and its complete suspension," Likhachev said. "Our objective, of course, is not to end up in court and establish grounds there for holding our partners financially liable. Our objective is to build the plant as quickly as possible," he added.
Foreign media previously reported that Hungary’s new government was allegedly considering replacing Rosatom as the project’s contractor. However, Hungarian company Paks II Zrt, which commissioned the Paks II plant, denied reports of Rosatom’s possible replacement, according to Portfolio.
The company stressed that a comprehensive review of Paks II was still underway and that a final decision on the investment project had yet to be made. Paks II Zrt also stated that there was "no room for speculation" regarding such a complex project.
It would be extremely difficult for an outside contractor to take over the Paks II project because of the time required to review documentation and renegotiate contracts, leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund and an expert at the Financial University under the Russian Government Igor Yushkov told Izvestia.
Moreover, Rosatom is the only corporation in the global nuclear industry capable of providing a full range of services, from design to decommissioning. Therefore, if Rosatom is replaced, Budapest will have to bring in a team of separate contractors, Yushkov explained.
Although the Hungarian economy is not currently experiencing a critical energy shortage, the new nuclear power plant project is strategically important for the country, Artyom Ilyinsky, junior research fellow at the Department of European Political Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), told Izvestia. According to him, the plant could provide a reliable safety net for the country’s energy system, particularly given Budapest’s plans to phase out Russian gas supplies by 2027.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Zelensky’s hopes for US Democrats fuel escalation of Ukraine conflict
Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview with British businessman Steven Bartlett that he "will not give up Donbass" and once again accused US President Donald Trump of being sympathetic to Russia, seemingly playing into the hands of Democrats who support Ukraine ahead of the congressional elections. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are once again attacking Russian targets in the frontline area using the Starlink/Starshield satellite communications system, which some are proposing to extend across the whole of Russia, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.
Amid preparations for peace negotiations, Moscow and Kiev continue active combat operations. Ukraine continues to demonstrate an unwillingness to compromise on ending the conflict.
Over the past 24 hours alone, Ukrainian forces launched an attack involving more than 1,200 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), of which 630 drones were directed at the Moscow region.
According to Politico, the European Union is also seeking additional sources of assistance for Kiev. The EU is preparing to urge Canada and the United Kingdom to increase their support for Ukraine as part of efforts to cover a 70 bln euro funding gap expected to emerge next year. Kiev has yet to obtain the money.
According to Politico, US Democrats are also considering opening an investigation into SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who allegedly restricted Starlink operations in Ukraine in recent days, US media reported, citing Ukrainian military personnel. However, Democrats would only be able to put pressure on Musk if they regain control of Congress in the November elections.
Earlier, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied claims by Ukrainian officials and media outlets that Starlink satellite communications services had been restricted for Ukraine. He said Washington’s policy toward Kiev had not changed. "In other words, despite statements about wanting to end the conflict in Ukraine, the United States is in fact supporting Kiev’s plans," retired Lieutenant General Yury Netkachev, a military expert, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta, commenting on Hegseth’s statement.
A number of Russian experts and participants in the special military operation say that Starlink/Starshield satellite communications are functioning in Ukraine again. According to Dmitry Rogozin, commander of the Bars-Sarmat Special-Purpose Unmanned Systems Center, reports of problems with Starlink/Starshield on the Ukrainian front are "a disinformation ploy by Kiev aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ American partners in the eyes of NATO’s European allies." Rogozin maintains that Ukrainian forces continue to actively use Starlink/Starshield across the entire front and in rear areas near the front line.
Vedomosti: Novatek CEO calls on EU to reconsider plans to phase out Russian LNG
The European Union (EU) should rethink its decision to completely phase out imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from January 1, 2027, in light of current economic realities, Novatek CEO and co-owner Leonid Mikhelson said on October 22 at the 19th Verona Eurasian Economic Forum. He warned that the situation on the global gas market would worsen if the EU’s decision remained in force, Vedomosti writes. Russian LNG cannot be excluded from the global economy, so the volumes currently supplied to Europe will be diverted to other markets, Mikhelson stressed.
The Novatek chief pointed out that growing global gas demand cannot be met without Russian resources. According to Novatek’s forecast, global gas consumption will rise from the current 4.3 trillion cubic meters per year to 5.5 trillion cubic meters by 2050. Meeting this demand will require producing 120-135 trillion cubic meters over the next 25 years, compared with a total of just 87 trillion cubic meters extracted over the previous 25 years, Mikhelson noted.
Novatek’s Yamal LNG plant is currently the only supplier of Russian gas to the EU, Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Russian Government, told Vedomosti. Once the complete ban on supplies to the EU takes effect, the company could redirect exports to countries in South, East, and Southeast Asia, as well as Turkey, the analyst said.
After ending imports of Russian LNG, Europe will have to compete for available gas supplies from the United States and Qatar, Yushkov noted. This could indeed push up gas prices on the global market, the expert said. Sergey Suverov, an investment strategist at Aricapital Management Company, and Sergey Kaufman, an analyst at Finam Financial Group, shared his assessment.
Suverov forecasts that the average gas price in Europe will rise to $650 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2027. Kaufman believes prices could reach $800 per 1,000 cubic meters. According to Vedomosti’s calculations based on World Bank data, the average gas price in Europe was approximately $600 per 1,000 cubic meters in January-September 2026. In 2025, gas in Europe cost around $427 per 1,000 cubic meters.
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