International press review
In the spotlight: the strengthened alliance between Iran and Russia
Audio 05:24
A photo provided by the office of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him (c) receiving Russian President Vladimir Putin in the presence of his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on July 19, 2022. AFP - -
By: Anne Corpet Follow
5 mins
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The newspapers return to the summit held on Tuesday July 19 in Tehran between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian leaders, and in particular to the welcome given to Vladimir Putin by the Iranian authorities.
“Iran rolls out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin”
"
The Russian president got an incredible reward during this trip: a prominent foreign leader fully approved of the invasion of Ukraine
," the
New York Times
points out .
The daily refers to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's statement after his meeting with Vladimir Putin: "
The Islamic Republic does not approve of war, but in the case of Ukraine, if Russia had not taken the initiative, the other party would have done so and would have launched hostilities
.” The Iranian Supreme Leader's support for Putin's war goes far beyond the more cautious declarations of Russia's other allies, the daily notes.
"
He totally embraces the Kremlin's thesis and signals to the whole world that the long strained relationship between Moscow and Tehran could become a real partnership
” “
Iran rolls out the red carpet for Putin
” headlines for its part the
Times
in Great Britain.
The daily mentions the memorandum of understanding signed between the Iranian national oil company and the Russian giant Gazprom for an amount of 40 billion dollars.
“
It testifies to a new eagerness of Moscow to get closer to Iran
”, estimates
The Times
which quotes this declaration of the Russian ambassador in Tehran: “
On most issues, our positions are close or identical.
Our two countries are together in a single fortress.
»
Putin loses patience in front of the cameras
The Guardian
for its part devotes an article to the video which made the buzz last night on social networks: it shows a Vladimir Putin forced to wait in front of the cameras while awaiting the arrival of the Turkish president.
"
The Russian leader, who has acquired the reputation of keeping world leaders waiting, found himself in uncharted territory,
" observes the daily before describing Vladimir Putin's impatience.
“
With hands clasped in front of him, the usually stoic Russian leader was seen fidgeting, shuffling his feet and sucking his cheeks during the 50-second wait.
Eventually Putin let his hands fall to his sides in a hint of exasperation when Erdogan
casually appeared.
The Guardian
publishes the video and it is true that the annoyance of the Russian president is palpable.
"
These 50 seconds during which Erdogan made Putin wait, looking exhausted in front of the cameras, speak volumes about the changes that have taken place since the invasion of Ukraine",
comments the daily.
The gas blackmail of the Russian president
The German press, for its part, returns to Vladimir Putin's statements about Russian gas.
“
Putin is threatening to further reduce the gas supply via Nord Stream 1
,” notes the
Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
"
Putin is launching the next stage of his gas war against Germany
," adds
Die Welt.
The German press refers to the words of the Russian leader who blew hot and cold in Tehran: he assured that Gazprom would fulfill its commitments, but he also threatened to significantly reduce the daily flow capacity of the gas pipeline.
"
Vladimir Putin is showing more and more clearly that he has Germany's fate in his hands.
But responding to Putin's demands and humbling oneself is as enduring as a junkie's relationship with his drug dealer
,”
Die Welt
snipes in an editorial.
The paper believes that many Germans are ready to sacrifice Ukraine and fulfill Putin's conditions to get gas flowing again, but the columnist warns: “
Such appeasement is a fictional solution.
A true new beginning is only possible by standing up to Putin despite his threats – and paying the price for our mistakes in winter, no matter how high
.
»
In Canada too, the press calls not to give in to the gas blackmail of the Russian president.
“
Returning to Germany turbines necessary for the operation of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline and, therefore, useful for the financing of the military aggression of Ukraine by Russia, is in flagrant violation of Canadian and international sanctions.
This is a bad decision
,” fumed the editorial writer for
Le Devoir
in Montreal.
And he continues: "
This shows how dependent our countries are on fossil fuels and, by extension, on tyrants who have their hands on the tap and whom we always end up getting used to, following a short-sighted logic, of defense with variable geometry of freedoms.
The journalist draws a parallel with the about-face that the American president has just made by reconnecting with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman.
He evokes in a beautiful neologism Joe Biden's “
aplaventrism
” and concludes: “
In the context of an energy transition that is dragging its feet, tyrants still have a bright future ahead of them
.
»
Brussels' plan for overcoming winter
In Spain,
El País
details the European Commission's plans to overcome the fall in Russian gas deliveries this winter.
El País
had access to the Commission's project, which would notably give Brussels the power to impose a reduction in consumption in the event that the Russian leader turns off the gas tap.
“
This plan will oblige all countries to share the economic impact of a supply cut which, in principle, should mainly affect Germany
”, notes the daily which lets go with bitterness “
All countries will thus pay for the errors of the energy policy of Berlin, a capital which during the euro crisis in 2008 categorically refused to pool the costs of the debt, considering that they resulted from the errors of budgetary policy committed in countries like Greece, Spain or Italy
.
»
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Iran
Turkey
Russia
Ukraine
Energies
Germany
Ali Khamenei
Vladimir Poutine