S Jaishankar to visit Russia next week after Trump's tariff blow over oil trade
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval also met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, a day after US President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on Indian imports in response to India's continued purchases of Russian oil.On August 6, President Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional penalty of 25 percent for buying Russian oil, taking the total import duty to 50 per cent.The new tariff measure will come into effect in two phases. The first 25 per cent came into effect on August 7, while the second part of the tariffs, i.e. the penalties, will come into effect from August 28, unless negotiations happen.Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, condemned the tariffs as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" and warned that New Delhi would take "all actions necessary" to defend its economic sovereignty. Washington has also faced accusations of double standards, with critics highlighting its continued imports of Russian uranium hexafluoride, palladium, and fertilisers.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ukraine drones hit Russia's Volgograd refinery ahead of Trump-Putin meeting
Ukrainian drones attacked Lukoil PJSC's major refinery in Volgograd in the early hours of Thursday as Kyiv has ramped up strikes on Russian energy infrastructure this month. The Volgograd refinery, among the 10 largest in Russia, is the latest strategic asset to be hit by Ukraine this month.(Representative Image/AP) The Russian Air Force repelled a 'massive UAV attack' on the Volgograd region overnight, and as a result of falling debris, oil products spilt and caught fire at the facility, Andrei Bocharov, regional governor, said in a Telegram statement. The regional administration's press office said in a separate Telegram statement that the blaze was extinguished by 8:13 p.m. local time. The Volgograd refinery, among the 10 largest in Russia, is the latest strategic asset to be hit by Ukraine this month, with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump preparing to meet in Alaska on Friday to discuss a potential ceasefire. Other targets include three facilities owned by oil giant Rosneft PJSC, a key helium facility owned by gas giant Gazprom PJSC and an oil-pumping station in Unecha, a hub for Russia's network of crude-exporting pipelines. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the attack on the Volgograd facility in a Telegram statement. Lukoil didn't respond to a Bloomberg request for a comment on potential damage and impact on crude-processing rates. The Volgograd refinery, which was attacked several times early this year, has a design capacity to process around 300,000 barrels a day of crude and supplies oil products mainly to southern regions in Russia. Some batches also go on exports. The attack on the facility, which accounts for roughly 5% of Russia's crude processing, may put even further pressure on the nation's refinery runs amid higher seasonal demand for gasoline and diesel.
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Secret Service rushes to Alaska city for Trump-Putin talks
The call to Beau Disbrow was unlike any the Anchorage realtor had ever received. His short-term rentals typically house tourists bound for glaciers or business travellers passing through. This time, the request came from the US Secret Service. The Secret Service is still waiting for Russia to formally approve the full security plan.(AFP) 'Most of my short-term rentals were booked, but I did manage to put some of them into one home,' he said. It was not the last inquiry connected to the highly anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin set for Friday. Soon after the Secret Service call, the Russian consulate in New York phoned Disbrow with the same request. With no vacancies left, he referred the officials to a friend with furnished homes sitting empty. When Trump announced the Alaska meeting a week ago, the lone agent assigned to the Secret Service's post in the Last Frontier began preparing to host hundreds of reinforcements in the days ahead. The agency's mission was unusually complex: to protect both the American and Russian presidents at the same site, each surrounded by a heavily armed security detail. Four people familiar with the planning said the operation became an all-out sprint, compressed into a single week. Because the meeting is on American soil, the Secret Service can move weapons, communications equipment and medical gear without foreign restrictions. But the geography presents its own hurdles. Anchorage has limited hotel rooms and a small rental-car market, so vehicles and other assets are being flown in or driven from other parts of the state. Motorcade SUVs are arriving from the lower 48 on cargo planes. The summit will take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska's largest military installation. A Cold War listening post less than a thousand miles from Russia, the base offers controlled airspace, fortified gates and instant access to military units — and, as an active base, is closed to the public. 'We're in the height of tourist season, so hotels are tight, cars are tight,' Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said on Bloomberg Television on Thursday. 'Having this on the base alleviates a lot of issues.' While Anchorage has played host to the Pope and to former President Ronald Reagan in years past, the summit is 'one of the biggest things to happen' in the city, said Dunleavy, a Republican. State Department protocol is shaping much of the plan. In a bilateral meeting, officials said, reciprocity rules mean every courtesy extended to one leader must be matched for the other. Russian security will control Putin's immediate movements while the Secret Service maintains an outer ring. Neither side will open the other's doors or ride in the other's vehicles. If 10 US agents are posted outside a meeting room, 10 Russian agents will stand on the other side. Everything is matched body for body, gun for gun, one person said. That symmetry will extend from the arrival motorcade to the placement of translators in the room. Both sides will bring their own language teams. Even the number and size of hold rooms — secure waiting areas for each leader — are being negotiated. The Secret Service is still waiting for Russia to formally approve the full security plan, the people said. 'The safety of the President is our highest priority,' the Secret Service said in a statement. 'In order to maintain operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss the specific means and methods used to conduct our protective operations.' The Alaska deployment lands with the agency also protecting Vice President JD Vance in the United Kingdom, preparing for the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month and providing protection for former presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden and George W. Bush and for former Vice President Kamala Harris. Twenty agents and officers have also been assigned this week to support Trump's federal takeover of the DC police department. Now, hundreds of agents have descended on Anchorage. Downtown hotels are full, and rental car lots have been cleared for convoys. Agents in suits and earpieces are posted at intersections, while others, in plain clothes, blend into coffee shops and parking garages. Alaska state troopers and local police are folded into motorcade routes that have been mapped down to the turn lane. Every movement of both leaders' vehicles is being choreographed to keep them apart while ensuring each is fully protected. Trump has described the 'feel-out' meeting as an effort toward ending Russia's war in Ukraine, suggesting a territorial swap could be part of a deal. Putin has sought to strengthen his rapport with Trump ahead of their summit, praising the US leader's efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine and dangling the promise of economic cooperation as well as a new arms control treaty.
India Today
8 minutes ago
- India Today
Trump raises possibility of 'quick second meeting' with Zelenskyy, Putin in Alaska
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced plans for a second meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, signalling his intention to push for a lasting resolution to the Ukraine first encounter between Trump and Putin is scheduled for Friday in Alaska, where the leaders will hold a one-on-one meeting followed by a joint press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ahead of the summit, Trump indicated that the discussions could lay the groundwork for a "quick second meeting" involving Zelensky, following pressure from US allies to ensure Ukraine's voice is included in any future agreements. "I think President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelenskyy will make peace," Trump told reporters at the White House."We'll see if they get along," he CONSEQUENCES IF CEASEFIRE FAILSTrump warned that 'very severe consequences' could follow if Russia failed to commit to a ceasefire during the talks. However, he did not reveal the detailed nature of these the looming threat of punitive measures, Trump tempered expectations, downplaying the chances of a ceasefire emerging from Friday's summit. Instead, he hinted that a subsequent meeting -- potentially including Ukraine -- would be crucial to reaching a long-term resolution."I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don't know that," Trump announcement comes as Ukrainian President Zelensky and his European allies have intensified efforts this week to ensure any deal emerging from the US-Russia summit does not compromise Ukraine's are wary of agreements that could leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks and have signalled that a robust negotiation process must include Kyiv at every PRAISES US PEACE EFFORTSMeanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Trump's efforts, describing the US administration's approach as "quite energetic and sincere" in order to halt hostilities. In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin said the Trump team was striving to "reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved."Putin also suggested that long-term peace between Russia, the US, Europe, and the broader world could be achieved through agreements on nuclear arms control.- EndsWith inputs from agencies Must Watch
