0754GMT//Witkoff flies into Russia; Russian officials ask Ethiopia to ease Boeing aircraft
WITKOFF IN RUSSIA: Steve Witcoff, Donald Trump's personal envoy, has been filmed in Moscow ahead of talks with Vladimir Putin. This is his first trip to Russia since April. Video showed Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and an envoy for Putin, walking around a Moscow park with Witkoff. (COMMENT: Witkoff's trip to the Kremlin comes two days ahead of Trump's deadline for Putin to return to peace negotiations with Ukraine or face more sanctions.)
TOP INDIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL IN RUSSIA: Ajit Doval, India's National Security Adviser, will travel to Moscow for meetings with Kremlin officials to discuss India's continued purchase of Russian oil and other products despite potential US tariffs. The US has accused India of bankrolling Russia's war in Ukraine by increasing imports from Russia. (COMMENT: India has become a major buyer of oil from Russia but has reduced other imports – for example, arms. If India did reduce its imports of Russian products, it would be a major blow to the Kremlin. Russian media reported that the Kremlin may have to offer India extra discounts on purchases.)
LEASING BOEINGS FROM ETHIOPIA: The Kremlin wants to lease Boeing aircraft from Ethiopia, Russian media has reported. It said that Russian officials flew to Addis Ababa at the end of July to hold talks on leasing aircraft from Ethiopian Airlines. (COMMENT: Russia's domestic aviation sector is straining under sanctions, which make repairing and maintaining Western aircraft difficult. A so-called "wet lease" arrangement would mean that Russia would fly Boeings registered as Ethiopian.)
BUSINESSES CLOSE: More businesses are closing in Russia than opening for the first time in three years, the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper reported on Tuesday. It said that the hardest hit sectors trade, construction, manufacturing and car dealerships. (COMMENT: Izvestia was quoting Rosstat data. It said that in the first half of the year, 141,000 businesses in Russia went out of business and 95,000 new ones opened up. This is more negative data on the state of the Russian economy.)
NEWS MATRIX:
Witkoff's arrival in Moscow ahead of talks with Putin has been well flagged up but is still important. Much the same, it feels, can be said of news that more Russian businesses are going bankrupt than opening.
Harder to judge is news that Russian officials have been in talks with Ethiopia on leasing Boeing aircraft. This is certainly a surprise and also feels important. It is a tacit admission from the Kremlin that Russia's domestic aviation sector can't substitute for Western aircraft. It also shows the reach of Russian international affairs.
The arrival of a top Indian official in Moscow despite the threat of US sanctions also highlights Russia's international clout.