Russia has had a busy week in trade development this past few days, with the US easing sanctions on the imports of Russian diesel. There was much hype about this move – we examine the actual values involved and the implications. We also feature President Putin’s Q&A session at the Valdai Club, in which he covered the international maritime rule of law, Iran, the development of the Donbass, China, differences between Russia and Chinese culture, Japan, President Trump, Serbia, India, Italy, the European Union, EU asset returns, a new Iron Curtain, Palestine, BRICS, APEC, Israel, Artificial Intelligence, UN reform, the Northern Sea Route, the Russian economy, Russia-Africa relations, Switzerland, and updates on the Ukraine conflict. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Russia’s global views on Russian and international affairs. Important financial news also features, with private investors pouring capital into the Moscow Stock Exchange and the launch of a new, international SWIFT-avoiding Crypto-Bank transfer service that showcases how sanctions are driving Russian innovation. We look at geopolitical and logistics infrastructure developments with Iran’s Caspian Sea coast, and examine multiple trade and infrastructure developments involving Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, the Caucasus, China, the CIS, Indonesia, Mali, Myanmar, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. ​

President Putin’s Valdai Club speech provides a significant insight into Moscow’s thinking right now – with sobering assessments of the current state of global affairs – and warnings that things could go rapidly wrong in a speech that referenced multipolarity, the need for reform at the United Nations, the concept of sovereignty, BRICS, international law, Ukraine, the USSR, Artificial Intelligence, and the Greater Eurasian Partnership. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Russia’s views and perspectives on global affairs. Elsewhere we have energy updates from Mali, Mozambique and Namibia in Africa, increasing trade with Afghanistan and Myanmar, the commencement of a Free Trade Agreement with the United Arab Emirates, an overview of the EAEU’s 2026 mutual trade to date, an overview of Russia’s bilateral trade with Brazil, and an analysis of the impact on Russia’s exports should the planned Trans-Afghan railway materialize – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and UAE having signed an agreement to evaluate the potential of building it this week. We also look at Russia-China logistics flows, examine why Murmansk Port freight has increased, potential Russian investment into Tajikistan, Chinese investment into Russia, and comment on Russian businesses facing cyberattacks.

Russia has had a highly productive diplomatic week, with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov holding 50 meetings with multiple countries and institutions during his visit to the United Nations in New York. We showcase each of these and illustrate how this is part of Russia’s widening foreign policy. There were also important trade events, the 2026 TNF Energy Forum, the 2026 Africa Aerospace and Defense Exhibition in South Africa, and the El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt. We showcase Russia’s global position in all of these. The Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation released a joint action plan for 2027-2030—we analyse the content and examine what this means for the Eurasian continent. We also discuss the record freight volumes along the Trans-Caspian corridor and Russian agriculture exports to Burundi, Egypt, India, and Türkiye, plus a substantial order by Georgian railways for Russian gondola railcars. Is Russia globally isolated? No.

It has been another busy and varied week-interestingly, with non-energy news dominating. We feature important updates on Russia’s trade with the Global South, a deep dive into trade with Africa, growing interest in Hong Kong and China’s Greater Bay Area, an important bilateral meeting with Mongolia, a look at Russia’s international intentions as regards expanding its rail network, and an important report on Russia’s agricultural sector with two major events this past week in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia, of course, is one of the world’s top agricultural producers. We also cover an influential Russia-China SME forum that took place in Moscow. These companies are the lifeblood of the new synergies in bilateral development and vital for both economies. We explain why. We discuss Aeroflot’s huge purchase of 90 new passenger jet airliners, the significance of a new North China to the Russian Arctic economic route, and round up with plenty of agricultural developments involving China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The Russian economy isn’t collapsing—it is diversifying. The energy sector contribution to the Russian economy in 2022 was 42%—in 2026 this has reduced to 23%. Most of this week’s headlines illustrate exactly where these changes are developing and non-energy growth patterns emerging.

Russia – and half of the world – had a successful BRICS summit this past week, not that you’d know that from the other half who ignored it. The BRICS part of the world is now responsible for half the global population, 40% of global trade and 25% of its exports. What happens at BRICS has global implications. This week we provide extensive details of what occurred, including a deep dive BRICS 2026 summary, the New Development Bank’s new Investment Platform and the revolutionary trade and investment input this will bring, as well as President Putin’s bilateral meetings with India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa and the UAE, including planned new investments. Just prior to BRICS, the China-Russia Intergovernmental Forum was held, revealing over US$240 billion of pipeline investments. Here, we examine China’s massive US$54 billion economic stimulus and the impact on Chinese companies working with Russia and explore the growing relations and connectivity between North China and the Russian Far East – also revealing where stock market and IPO investment opportunities lie. We conduct the same research into Indian stocks and where the fundamentals suggest involvement in Russian projects can be expected to create improved dividends that all investors can access. Finally, we look at Russia’s 5G rollout and what this means, a cool Russian AI medical tool launched in the Middle East, Kazakhstan’s approval of a Russian diabetes drug, and why Russian aluminium exports to Brazil have risen by nearly 200% this year. The G7, frankly, is lagging well behind.

There have been some important Russia-China bilateral events taking place this past week, including discussions concerning energy, Russia- North China regional cross border trade and investment, and improving the connectivity with China’s Tianjin port – one of the world’s largest. In addition, we feature the results of key economic events, the Eastern Economic Forum that has just concluded in Vladivostok, which discussed potential inbound investment projects worth US$79 billion, as well as the strategic Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Heads of State summit, with the SCO alone responsible for 25% of global GDP. These are big numbers and should be taken seriously. Far from ‘collapsing’ – the Russian economy is becoming a global growth driver – and especially within Eurasia. Elsewhere we feature several discussions held by President Putin and Central Asian Presidents, showcase important de-dollarisation financial architecture systems being put in place involving cryptocurrency and QR codes, and note how Russia’s agricultural productivity for wheat and apples has hit record volumes – and the reasons why. We also compare the price of Russian gas with European gas – and uncover a 976% cost markup in the EU.

It has been a busy week with numerous bilateral Presidential meetings taking place in addition to key multilateral forums. We report on President Putin’s meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi, Turkiye’s Recep Erdogan, Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian and Mongolia’s Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. In addition, we provide reports on what happened at the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in the United States, The Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Summit in Bishkek and the Russia-China Cooperation Forum in Kazan. We also carry important reviews of Russia’s Arctic development policy, Russia-China cross-border infrastructure development, and a review of Russia’s trade and development data for the year to date. Plus discussions with the Brazilian Foreign Minister and the latest in Belarusian trade. Russia’s economy is not collapsing. As our reports indicate, the reality is the exact reverse.

We have several important bilateral reports this week, with Russia’s relations with India, Ghana, Myanmar, South Sudan and Vietnam all deep dive analysis into what is happening as Russia continues its trade and infrastructure development push deep into Asia and Africa. In addition, we take a comprehensive look at Russia’s tourism industry – inbound and outbound and where the development trends are. We also deep dive the Maldives and its growing tourism and connectivity relations with Russia. We look at a significant, billion-dollar investment made by a Chinese business into Russia, while Thailand has improved its payment systems and financial sanctions avoidance by introducing a QR code system throughout the country, bypassing SWIFT. Finally we look at this week’s Russia-Vatican discussions and shed light on why these could potentially prove groundbreaking in ending the Ukraine conflict – if Washington agrees.

We have significant trade and investment updates between Russia and China, Thailand, Argentina and Mexico this week as inter-regional government and business forums have been taking place. We also deep-dive the Russia-China collaboration in the gaming sector – a massive, hundred-billion dollar, fast growth market whose own trade eco-system will have a substantial impact on future digital trade and finance. Elsewhere we examine India’s intent to ship via the Arctic, Malaysian joint-venture Special Economic Zones in the Russian Far East, a joint venture Russia-China auto R&D plant in St.Petersburg, and commentary on Russia’s Stablecoin. In addition we have updates on trade developments with Kazakhstan, and South Korea, and look at Armenia’s options between its Eurasian Economic Union membership and its attempts to draw close to the European Union. Finally we end with a heartwarming piece about Kazakhstan’s returning wild Tigers.

This week we provide an extensive report on the international expansion of Russian railways and entrance into new rail markets, including planned networks across the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Central Asia and China, as well as development projects in Indonesia and Thailand. We connect the dots to illustrate how Moscow is building a truly Eurasian network. We also cover detailed analysis of Russia’s trade and investment developments in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan following successful interregional forums recently held with these nations. The Eurasian Economic Union meanwhile has become one of the fastest growth regions in the world this year, while we also examine Russia’s new digital currency law and digital finance developments with the BRICS. We additionally feature Russia free trade news from Pakistan and the UAE, and other positive trade news concerning markets as diverse as Colombia, China, and Turkiye.

This week has a strong emphasis on Russia’s developing logistics and supply chains, with a detailed report of how this sector is expected to grow by 13% over the next five years, outstripping the EU by a factor of four. We continue this theme by examining Russia’s plans for financing the Transarctic Corridor, a new INSTC logistics centre in Siberia, and how Russia and India are preparing for a boom in trade and preparing the logistics infrastructure due to the pending free trade agreement. In energy, we examine EU and India record imports of Russian LNG and Oil, discuss OPEC’s decision to increase oil output, and look at Russia and Qatar’s increasing energy cooperation. In international affairs we discuss the bilateral meetings held this past week between Russia and Egypt, Uzbekistan, Guinea-Bissau and Brazil, and examine the reasons why Russia wants its bilateral trade settlements with Bangladesh conducted in India Rupees – a controversial issue in Dhaka.

This week has seen two significant events take place involving Asian regional Foreign Ministers. The Russia-ASEAN and East Asia Forum took place in Manila, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Foreign Ministers Council took place in Cholpon-Ata. Both are significant events and we cover their geopolitical, security and trade implications in much detail. These are essential reading for anyone involved in Eurasian and South Asian affairs. As a result of these summits, the Russian Foreign Minister has also been able to hold bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Laos. We provide the latest bilateral data and developments between Russia and each of these countries. Elsewhere, we discuss the new ‘Water Silk Road’ which could give China access to the Russian Arctic and the Northern Sea Route, the development of South Korea’s Yeosu Gwangyang Port to do the same, Indonesia’s imports of Russian oil and how Kazakhstan wants to digitize its busiest highway to Russia in order to double its freight capacity.