US, EU targeting us for importing oil from Russia: India on Trump tariff threat
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Economic Times
4 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Back to Cold War era? Russia ends nuclear treaty as Trump sends nuke submarines into position
Synopsis Russia has formally dropped its self-imposed restrictions under the 1987 INF Treaty, blaming the West for escalating tensions. Once a Cold War milestone, the INF deal curbed the deployment of mid-range nuclear missiles. Now, with the US redeploying submarines and preparing missile stations in Europe and Asia, Moscow says the conditions that kept the treaty alive no longer exist. Amid nuclear posturing and diplomatic threats, a new era of arms competition is quietly but rapidly taking shape. TIL Creatives Representative AI Image Russia has now officially abandoned its last pretence of observing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. In a statement released on Monday, the Foreign Ministry made it clear: Moscow "no longer considers itself bound" by its "previously adopted self restrictions" under the treaty. It cited the deployment of US intermediate-range weapons in Europe and the Asia-Pacific as a direct threat to Russian treaty, signed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, was supposed to end one of the most dangerous chapters of the Cold War. It banned ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres. Over 2,600 missiles were dismantled. At the time, it was hailed as a major arms control optimism didn't last. The US formally withdrew from the INF in 2019 under President Donald Trump, who argued that Russia had been breaking the rules for years by developing and deploying the 9M729 missile system (known to NATO as the SSC-8). Moscow denied the claim, but the accusations dated back to at least 2014, during Barack Obama's the US withdrawal, Russia kept its own moratorium, on paper. In practice, its actions in Ukraine suggested November, Russia reportedly used an Oreshnik missile, a weapon with a range that breaches the now-defunct treaty, against a Ukrainian city. That missile, which President Vladimir Putin has confirmed is now in service, is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and is already being deployed to Belarus. A troubling development, considering Belarus borders three NATO members. Russia's decision to end its observance of the treaty comes just days after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev issued a nuclear threat online. In response, Trump ordered two US nuclear submarines to be 'positioned in the appropriate regions.' He later told Newsmax, 'When you talk about nuclear, we have to be prepared… and we're totally prepared.'Trump added, 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.'Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, hasn't been subtle. He posted on X, 'This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps.'His claim: NATO's "anti-Russian policy" has triggered the end of the missile moratorium. It's a familiar message from Moscow, one that frames every escalation as a defensive nuclear rhetoric has become a regular feature in Russia's propaganda arsenal. It's part sabre-rattling, part information a bigger context to all this. The United States plans to begin 'episodic deployments' of intermediate-range missiles to Germany from 2026. Typhon missile launchers have already appeared in the Philippines. US weapons testing during Australia's Talisman Sabre military exercise also raised Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking to RIA Novosti last December, said the unilateral moratorium was 'practically no longer viable.' He blamed the US for ignoring joint warnings from Moscow and Beijing.'The United States arrogantly ignored warnings from Russia and China and, in practice, moved on to deploying weapons of this class in various regions of the world.'Putin himself has warned that the collapse of the INF Treaty would 'significantly erode the global security framework.'The Kremlin, however, played down Trump's submarine comments. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told reporters:'In this case, it is obvious that American submarines are already on combat duty. This is an ongoing process… of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.'Tensions between Moscow and Washington are running high. Trump has issued an ultimatum: Putin must agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by August 9 or face sweeping new sanctions, including penalties against oil buyers like India and China. Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected in Moscow this Putin doesn't look ready to fold. Last week, he claimed that while peace talks had shown 'some positive progress,' Russia has the 'momentum' in the war. That doesn't sound like a man ready to pull this really means is that the arms control era that started in the 1980s is over. Dead, buried, and now being actively INF Treaty wasn't perfect. It didn't cover sea- or air-launched weapons. It didn't include China. And enforcement was always shaky. But it worked as a firebreak. Without it, there are fewer guardrails. More room for miscalculation. And a growing temptation to escalate, decision to scrap its remaining commitments marks a shift from strategic ambiguity to open rearmament. The US won't be far so, nearly four decades after the Cold War began to cool, the world is once again talking about nuclear missiles in Europe. Not as history, but as breaking news.
Economic Times
6 minutes ago
- Economic Times
"Held multiple meetings on Bangladesh, Foreign Secretary Misri addressed all queries": Shashi Tharoor on Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting
IANS Congress MP and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor (File Photo) Following the Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on External Affairs held on August 4, Committee Chairperson and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stated that multiple meetings were held on Bangladesh, during which Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed all queries raised by the members."We have held 3-4 meetings on Bangladesh, and this was the last meeting where the Foreign Secretary has given us a briefing, and in this briefing, all the questions that the Members had to ask were discussed. The Foreign Secretary has answered all of them," Tharoor told added that the Committee will now prepare its report, which will be placed before Parliament. "After this, it is our job to write a report, adopt it and present it to the Parliament. Before doing that, I cannot tell what we will decide, what advice we will give..." he said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee met on August 4 to review the future of India-Bangladesh relations. The meeting saw officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) presenting evidence on the future of India-Bangladesh relations. The agenda also included a review of the draft report on action taken by the government on recommendations made in an earlier report concerning the MEA's demands for grants for 2024-25. According to Tharoor, the August 4 meeting marked the final round of deliberations on the issue. He reiterated that the Foreign Secretary had briefed the panel and addressed all queries raised by the members. The committee will now prepare, adopt, and present a report to Parliament. The panel had earlier met on June 27, during which it heard the views of experts on the topic 'Future of India-Bangladesh Relationship'. Following the meeting, Tharoor stated that the Committee benefited from the insights of "four first-class experts." He also noted that the number of Bangladeshis entering India had declined in recent times."You will see our report in the next few weeks... We didn't discuss (the issue of Bangladeshis living in India). But we were told about a figure that the number of Bangladeshis coming to our country has lessened now," he said. India-Bangladesh ties have seen some strain in the recent past. Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also commented on the 25 per cent tariffs imposed on India by US President Donald Trump, stating that the matter is expected to be discussed on August 11. "I think the tariffs will be discussed on 11th August," he said. Trump, in a recent post on his Truth Social platform, stated that a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods would be implemented from August 1. He also warned of additional penalties over India's oil trade with Russia."Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country. Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop killing in Ukraine - STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE - ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST 1st. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!", Trump posted.
Time of India
6 minutes ago
- Time of India
Russian Soldier Shoots Down Ukrainian Drone Mid-Air Using Assault Rifle
/ Aug 05, 2025, 09:47AM IST Russian troops shot down Ukrainian drones using assault rifles in a dramatic frontline clash. Fiery video footage captured the moment drones exploded mid-air under heavy gunfire. The attack unfolded near Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia region, where a Ukrainian drone strike targeted a moving freight train. Acting fast, Russian soldiers opened fire, taking down multiple UAVs and saving the convoy from destruction in what became a stunning display of low-tech defence.
