G7 Summit will be a test of Albanese's diplomatic skill
It's reasonable to question the motives behind the probe. Trump's 'America First Agenda' has already sparked a tariff war and destabilised the international rules-based order. Meanwhile, the president's transactional diplomacy, such as threatening to withdraw US troops from Ukraine and questioning the relevance of longstanding defence alliances, has cast a cloud over America's reliability as a credible security partner.
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Perth Now
10 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Trump might meet with Putin as soon as next week
US President Donald Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, according to media reports. Trump plans to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the New York Times reported, citing two sources. The newspaper added that the plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday. The White House did not immediately respond to the report but earlier on Wednesday Trump acknowledged that he spoke with European leaders after US envoy Steve Witkoff's "highly productive" meeting with Putin in Russia. The meeting came two days before a deadline set by Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports. A White House official said that while the meeting had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. No details were provided. "My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come." A Kremlin aide earlier on Wednesday said Witkoff held "useful and constructive" talks with Putin on Wednesday. The two met for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the 3.5-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged "signals" on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he believed pressure had worked on Russia and Moscow was now more amenable to a ceasefire. "It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire. The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US," Zelenskiy said in his nightly address. Writing separately on the X social media platform, Zelenskiy said he had discussed Witkoff's visit to Russia with Trump, adding that he had reiterated Ukraine's support for a just peace and its continued determination to defend itself. "Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started," Zelenskiy said, adding that European leaders had joined the call with Trump. Trump took a key step toward punitive measures on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. No similar order was signed for China, which also imports Russian oil. The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50 per cent — among the steepest faced by any US trading partner.
ABC News
10 minutes ago
- ABC News
Donald Trump says he wants to stop Vladimir Putin's 'war machine' but his sanctions–tariffs combo could backfire
Donald Trump is searching for a way to end the bloodshed in Ukraine and the US president's latest plan involves combining two of his favourite punishments: more sanctions, more tariffs. This time, it's where they're going — far from the front lines — that's important. And some analysts are warning it could backfire. After weeks of bluster, things got real on Wednesday with an executive order for an additional 25 per cent levies on all US imports from India. Combined with the 25 per cent "reciprocal" tariff announced last week, it becomes a 50 per cent tariff on a country Trump said was fuelling the "war machine" by buying billions of dollars of Russian oil. The White House has flagged more announcements in the coming days. Trump is trying to dig an economic hole around Moscow so big it forces his counterpart there, Vladimir Putin, back to the negotiating table. It's a simple strategy. Measures designed to hurt Russia's finances that have been in place for years will effectively be expanded to include those who line the Kremlin's pockets. India and China have already been singled out for what's known as secondary sanctions. Combined with new tariffs, like those announced on Wednesday, the US could end up being the one that pays the price. Russia has already been subjected to a multitude of penalties imposed by Western governments, including Australia, and their allies, before and after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow's banks are blocked from accessing global financial markets. Oligarchs' assets abroad are frozen. Many countries have shunned trade. All this was designed to stop Putin's ability to fund his military. And yet, more than three years later, it continues to fight. It's become clear that ending the war will take something more. That's where the US president's new plan comes in. India's external affairs ministry released a statement on Wednesday calling the extra tariffs "extremely unfortunate" and warning the country would "take all actions necessary to protect its national interests". Michael O'Kane is a senior partner at London's Peters&Peters law firm and the co-founder of the Global Sanctions website, which tracks the latest developments in this space. He's sceptical about the effectiveness of secondary sanctions, because the West "continually underestimates Russia's ability to pivot and evade any new measures that are being put in place". "And I don't see any reason why that isn't going to continue." One of the main ways the Kremlin does this is by exporting its oil via a so-called "shadow fleet" of ships. It's estimated this force comprises around 1,400 aging tankers that supply a black market of exports and evade the West's naval net with flags of convenience and convoluted ownership structures. "We now have an under-the-radar network of vessels, agents and brokers who are engaged in this activity," O'Kane says. "The two main buyers are India and China, and they are hugely complex, enormous economies where there's a great deal of difficulty in putting some kind of stranglehold on them." Trump's sanctions/tariffs combination will have different repercussions for China, India and Russia, but experts say the US will be affected too. India's new 25 per cent levies are set to begin in 21 days, while previously announced 25 per cent tariffs will come into effect on Thursday. It means by the end of the month, New Delhi will face some of the highest levies on exports of all the US's trading partners. "With such obnoxious tariff rates, trade between the two nations would be practically dead," Madhavi Arora, an economist at Emkay Global, told the Reuters news agency. While that will hurt India more than the US, slapping new taxes on an important strategic partner could cause significant geopolitical consequences for Washington. "The United States security competition with China in the South China Sea and down into the Indian Ocean is a matter of significant concern to the White House," O'Kane says. "They need to have formidable allies. That's why we've seen this AUKUS arrangement being set up, it's all with the view of being able to contain China from a security perspective. "India plays an important role too, and it would seem to me as though taking action against India at this stage could undermine this effort." While India has begun to learn its fate, new US tariffs and secondary sanctions on China — a superpower with which it is currently locked in trade negotiations — haven't yet been revealed Beijing also welcomes Russia's oil, and immunity from Trump's wrath appears unlikely. Dr Patricia M Kim is a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Centre for Asia Policy Studies and John L Thornton China Centre. "It's hard to imagine Beijing would publicly side with Washington against Moscow or appear to bow to American pressure by cutting purchases of Russian oil," she says, adding any new tariffs announced by the White House would have consequences for Beijing and "deal a blow to Chian's export-driven sectors, especially those heavily reliant on the US market". "But it would hurt the US as well." Unlike its trade relationship with India, the US imports masses of cheap electronics and consumer goods from China's manufacturing hubs — all of which could become a lot more expensive for Americans already complaining about the cost of living. It also relies on rare earths from China, which accounts for almost 70 per cent of global production, to build things like planes, missiles and cars. Earlier this year, the US got a taste of how Beijing reacts to being targeted, when a suite of new tariffs were met with swift reciprocal measures. The world's two largest economies got into the ring, and while they've temporarily stopped throwing punches, the White House has hinted this week it may start again. Trump's new plan to try and put pressure on Russia may seem straightforward, but it could pave the way for a new reality after the guns fall silent in Ukraine, and some will find it frightening. Russia exploiting its new, lucrative black market. India cosying up to the Kremlin. And a disrespected China searching for new ways to punish a country that can't do without its wares.
ABC News
10 minutes ago
- ABC News
Pokies giant Mounties accused of letting gamblers wager $140m in dirty money
The first licensed club group targeted by the nation's financial crimes intelligence agency is accused of turning over almost $140 million from 10 gamblers considered high risk of money laundering and counterterrorism financing. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has published court documents related to its Federal Court case against Mounties, the operator of 10 venues across Sydney's south-west, North Shore, and the Central Coast. The documents reveal Mounties' network of about 1,400 poker machines had $4.17 billion fed through them over the four financial years from 2019 to 2023. AUSTRAC is alleging in the civil suit that Mounties systematically failed to meet its anti-money laundering (AML) and counterterrorism financial (CTF) obligations, citing a sample of 10 gamblers considered high risk. "Mounties served innumerable customers without adequate controls," the financial crimes intelligence agency alleged in the court documents. "The Sample Suspicious Customers alone had turnovers in excess of $139,855,108 and payouts in excess of $10,464,856. "As a consequence of Mounties' [alleged] contraventions of the Act, the Australian community and Australia's financial systems have been exposed to systemic [money laundering and counterterrorism financial] risk over many years." Mounties Group, registered as Mount Pritchard and District Community Club, declined to comment. However, it issued a statement last week. "We are reviewing AUSTRAC's Originating Application and Concise Statement, relating to alleged contraventions of our obligations to maintain a compliant program and conduct appropriate ongoing due diligence of customers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act," it said. "We have been dedicating significant investment and resources to transform our AML/CTF capabilities since being notified by AUSTRAC of its concerns. Among the group's 10 venues is Mounties in Mount Pritchard, which consistently ranks as the licensed club with the most lucrative poker machines in NSW. AUSTRAC's chief executive, Brendan Thomas, said taking one of the most successful licensed clubs to court would send a message to other licensed clubs and hotels operating in the state. "This is the first time AUSTRAC has brought proceedings against a registered club. It is a chance for other pubs and clubs to check that they've got proper controls, that they understand what's happening in their own operations, and that they're doing everything they can to comply with the law," he said. More than half of the country's gaming machines are found in NSW. In the financial year ending in 2024, nearly 88,000 poker machines generated $8.4 billion in profit, according to a recent report from the state's auditor-general. The machines generated a further $2.3 billion in tax revenue. AUSTRAC provided a sample of 10 gamblers it considered high risk of money laundering or counter-terrorism financing in its court filing. It claimed they demonstrated at least one of the following markers of suspicious activity: Of the sample of 10 suspicious gamblers, AUSTRAC alleged Mounties identified eight of them and reported seven of them to the agency's chief executive. But it describes its compliance system as "not designed to enable Mounties to understand, recognise, identify, mitigate or manage the money laundering/terrorism financing risks posed". Mounties Group outsources its money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance program to Betsafe, a third-party used by other licensed clubs. Betsafe also declined to comment. AUSTRAC alleges Mounties' compliance program is not adequate to stop criminals from gambling with dirty money in its poker machines over four years. It also alleges Mounties customers could have engaged in a practice known as "bill stuffing," where cash is put into a poker machine only to be withdrawn as a cheque, with little or no game play taking place. Furthermore, it is alleged that customers could have paid other gamblers in cash for their winning vouchers, tickets, or credits; use multiple cashiers or terminals to avoid being observed by staff; and gain the trust of staff to get around being detected, or have to show their identification to collect their winnings. The civil case is before the Federal Court.
