Donald Trump's unprecedented attack on Brazil's judiciary
'L et this be a warning to those who would trample on the fundamental rights of their countrymen,' Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, posted on X, a social-media service, on July 30th. The would-be human-rights trampler was Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court judge. The warning came in the form of sanctions placed on Mr Moraes under the Global Magnitsky Act, freezing his assets in American banks and prohibiting him from entering the United States. World Donald Trump The Americas Brazil
A new dam should ease the Panama Canal's water woes. Those against it don't have a chance
They are currently in disarray. Hoping that his government fails is their main strategy
Amid monetary mayhem in Venezuela digital finance is booming and may threaten the regime
MAGA bullying is backfiring, boosting Lula's government
Jovenel Moïse was gunned down in his bedroom four years ago
Rotting seaweed is stinking up Caribbean beaches
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Everything you need to know about a Trump, Putin, Zelensky showdown summit – and who has the upper hand
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HISTORIC meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and maybe Volodymyr Zelensky could finally decide the fate of the war in Ukraine. With battlefields burning and sanctions ready to bite, this diplomatic showdown could be the start of peace - or another powder keg. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet as early as next week to discuss Ukraine Credit: Getty 8 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky could also join the historic summit Credit: AFP 8 This isn't just another summit – it's a historic high-stakes gamble. Trump is betting big that Putin wants peace, that Zelensky can stomach compromise, and that America's economic firepower can bring the war to an end. Here is everything you need to know about the major meeting and the men comprising the most explosive political triangle in years. When and where could the summit take place? Trump could sit down with Mad Vlad Putin as early as next week, according to the White House. A trilateral meeting including Zelensky is also on the table - a diplomatic first if it happens. A top aide to Putin, Yuri Ushakov, announced that 'an agreement was agreed in principle to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days,' following a suggestion from the American side. All parties are now working on the details, and while the venue has been agreed, it will be revealed later. The possibility of a trilateral meeting with Zelensky was also raised by US special envoy Steve Witkoff during his talks with Putin yesterday — though Ushakov says Moscow has, for now, left that idea 'without comment.' Don and Vlad last met in person at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019, during Trump's first term as America's leader. And if Zelensky joins the upcoming meeting, it would mark the first time all three leaders sit at the same table since war erupted in 2022. Russia and China begin war games in Sea of Japan after Trump nuclear threat What will be discussed? One issue dominates: peace in Ukraine. Trump's administration says it is pushing hard for a deal. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, just wrapped up a three-hour meeting with Putin in Moscow this week, which Trump called "highly productive". But there's a clock ticking. The Republican strongman slashed his original 50-day deadline for a Ukraine peace deal to just 10 days - and that deadline expires Friday. If Putin doesn't budge, Trump is poised to hammer Moscow - and its enablers - with crippling secondary sanctions. India has already been hit with 50 per cent tariffs over its Russian oil purchases - and China could be next. Trump warned: "We did it with India. We're doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China." The White House says Trump has made it clear there will be "biting sanctions" if Russia doesn't agree to a ceasefire. Who has the upper hand? Right now, everything hangs in the balance - and the power dynamic could shift in a heartbeat. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former British Army officer and military analyst, said the fact the summit is even happening is a win in itself. But as for who's calling the shots? That's where things get complicated. Noting the Russian leader still believes he's making ground in Ukraine, the expert told The Sun: 'Until fairly recently, it's been pretty clear that President Putin has absolutely no desire for peace. 'His aim at the beginning of his special military operation over three and a half years ago was to subjugate the whole of Ukraine.' According to de Bretton-Gordon, Trump has only recently woken up to the fact that he's being played. 8 US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting in 2017 Credit: AFP or licensors 8 Putin greets Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow for last-minute talks Credit: AFP 8 US special envoy Steve Witkoff seen deep in conversation with Russia's Kirill Dmitriev in a park near the Kremlin before his meeting with Putin Credit: East2West 'It would appear that Trump has had a bit of an epiphany, a bit of a change of mind, and has now realised that Putin has been playing him.' And now, Don is bringing the businessman in him and threatening to hit Russia where it hurts most: the wallet. 'If Trump follows through with his sanctions and tariffs… then this is the reason I think that Putin has come to the table,' de Bretton-Gordon explained. 'Economic and financial analysts who really know about these things believe that the Russian economy would peter out pretty quickly without the massive amounts of money and resources it gets from oil.' In other words, Trump holds the economic sledgehammer — if he's willing to swing it. But Putin isn't out of the game. His forces are still advancing, still hammering Ukrainian cities, and still killing civilians. 'Russia seems to be moving forward slowly,' de Bretton-Gordon warned. 'Attacking civilian targets in Ukraine at an unbelievable scale.' Zelensky, meanwhile, remains the wild card. 'The people who are most important here are the Ukrainians,' he said. 'A bad deal for Ukraine is worse than no deal at all.' And that's the real risk. Trump might be chasing headlines, not justice. 'I think Trump probably just wants to get a deal of some description,' the former army officer said. 'One just hopes that Trump doesn't try and do some sort of backhand deal with Putin, just so that he can claim that there is now peace in Ukraine, because the short-term peace is no good to anybody.' So who has the upper hand? Right now, it's still up for grabs. But if Trump sticks to his economic guns, and if Putin starts to feel the heat on the home front, the balance might just tip. Will Trump be able to make a deal? That's the trillion-dollar question. Trump insists he's serious. He's been increasingly frustrated with Putin, telling reporters: "Can't answer the question yet. I'll tell you in a matter of weeks, maybe less. But we made a lot of progress." Zelensky says the pressure is working. "It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire," he said, but warned, "The main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US." Putin, for his part, has not ruled out a meeting with Zelensky – a U-turn after rejecting talks for nearly five years. But the Kremlin remains cagey. Aides say they're open to a summit "after preparatory work is done at the expert level." Still, Russia continues to play the long game. Putin's demands for peace remain unchanged, and behind the scenes, Moscow is preparing for no limits on nuclear deployments – a chilling echo of Cold War escalation. If talks fail, Trump's next move could ignite a global trade war. A 100 per cent tariff on all Russian goods and those of its allies is on the table. His message to Moscow? Deal or suffer. 8 An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike Credit: Reuters 8 Ukrainian soldiers of 43rd artillery brigade fire self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions Credit: AP What is the situation on the frontline? While diplomats talk, Putin bombs. Russia has escalated its attacks in Ukraine in recent days - in what some see as a final show of force ahead of the talks. Kyiv, Kherson, Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk - all hit. One missile slammed into a residential tower, killing 31 people, including five children. In Nikopol, a 23-year-old first responder was among the dead. Putin's war machine has launched hundreds of drones and missiles overnight in a relentless blitz. Even as Moscow talks ceasefire, its rockets keep flying. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, have not backed down - striking deep into Russian territory with precision attacks on refineries, rail hubs, air defences and even military units inside Russia. The Afipsky Refinery in southern Russia went up in flames after a massive Ukrainian strike – a clear message that Kyiv can hit back hard. Just days ago, Russia declared there are now no limits on its deployment of nuclear missiles in a chilling warning to the West. Throwing off its gloves and restraints, Moscow vowed to match US and Nato moves with force, reigniting fears of a Cold War-style arms race. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused America and its allies of creating a "direct threat to the security of our country" by preparing to deploy intermediate-range weapons in Europe. Saying Moscow now has a free hand to respond, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "Russia no longer considers itself to be constrained by anything. "Therefore Russia believes it has the right to take respective steps if necessary." The trigger, according to Russia, is the planned US deployment of Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles in Germany starting next year. The Kremlin said the move shattered what remained of strategic stability, accusing Donald Trump's USA of risking "a dangerous escalation of tensions between nuclear powers." It was the clearest warning yet that Vladimir Putin is prepared to redraw the red lines of nuclear deterrence — and challenge the West head-on.
Economist
an hour ago
- Economist
Duty regime: America's consumers will foot the tariff bill
As yet another tranche of Donald Trump's tariffs takes effect, we look at why the duties might outlast him—and how American consumers will ultimately shoulder the trade war's costs. Our correspondent visits US Space Command, which is preparing for a new age of combat in the heavens. And Gen Z's obsession with big, personalised water bottles.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Trump to meet Putin in coming days, Kremlin says
'At the suggestion of the American side, it has been agreed in principle to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level in the coming days,' Mr Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters. Next week is the target date for a summit, Mr Ushakov said, while noting that such events take time to organise and no date is confirmed. The possible venue will be announced 'a little later', he said. He also played down the possibility of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky joining the summit meeting to discuss ending Russia's three-year-old invasion of its neighbour, which the White House said Mr Trump is ready to consider. 'We propose, first of all, to focus on preparing a bilateral meeting with Mr Trump, and we consider it most important that this meeting be successful and productive,' Mr Ushakov said. A meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Trump would be their first since the Republican president returned to office this year. It would be a significant milestone in the war, though there is no promise such a meeting would lead to the end of the fighting, since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on their demands. Western officials have repeatedly accused Mr Putin of stalling for time in peace negotiations to allow Russian forces time to capture more Ukrainian land. Mr Putin has in the past offered no concessions and will only accept a settlement on his terms. It was not clear whether Mr Trump's Friday deadline for the Kremlin to stop the killing in Ukraine still stood. A new Gallup poll published on Thursday found that Ukrainians are increasingly eager for a settlement that ends the fight against Russia's invasion. The enthusiasm for a negotiated deal is a sharp reversal from 2022 – the year the war began – when Gallup found that about three-quarters of Ukrainians wanted to keep fighting until victory. Now only about one-quarter hold that view, with support for continuing the war declining steadily across all regions and demographic groups. The findings were based on samples of 1,000 or more respondents aged 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories under entrenched Russian control, representing about 10% of the population, were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access. Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. On the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line snaking from north-east to south-east Ukraine, where tens of thousands of troops on both sides have died, Russia's bigger army is slowly capturing more land. The poll came out on the eve of Mr Trump's Friday deadline for Russia to stop the killing or face heavy economic sanctions. In the new Gallup survey, conducted in early July, about seven in 10 Ukrainians say their country should seek to negotiate a settlement as soon as possible. Mr Zelensky last month renewed his offer to meet with Mr Putin, but his overture was rebuffed as Russia sticks to its demands, and the sides remain far apart. Most Ukrainians do not expect a lasting peace anytime soon, the poll found. Only about one-quarter say it is 'very' or 'somewhat' likely that active fighting will end within the next 12 months, while about seven in 10 think it is 'somewhat' or 'very' unlikely that active fighting will be over in the next year. Ukrainian views of the American government have cratered over the past few years, while positive views of Germany's leadership have risen, according to Gallup. Three years ago, about two-thirds of Ukrainians approved of US leadership. That has since fallen to 16% in the latest poll, reflecting new tensions between the two countries since Mr Trump took office in January. But although the dip from last year was substantial – approval of US leadership was 40% in 2024 – positive views of US leadership were already dropping before Mr Trump took office, perhaps related to the antipathy that prominent Republican politicians showed towards billions of dollars in US support for Ukraine. Germany has grown more popular among Ukrainians over the past few years, rising to 63% approval in the new poll. Ukrainians are much less optimistic that their country will be accepted into Nato or the European Union in the next decade than they were just a few years ago. In the new poll, about one-third of Ukrainians expect that Ukraine will be accepted into Nato within the next 10 years, while about one-quarter think it will take at least 10 years, and one-third believe it will never happen. That is down from 2022, when about two-thirds of Ukrainians thought acceptance into Nato would happen in the coming decade and only about one in 10 thought it would never happen. Hope for acceptance into the EU is higher but has also fallen. About half, 52%, of Ukrainians now expect to be part of the EU within the next decade, down from 73% in 2022.
