
Putin briefs MBS on contacts with Trump, praises OPEC+ cooperation
During the conversation, Putin briefed the Crown Prince on Moscow's recent contacts with US President Donald Trump.
Both sides also praised the joint efforts within the OPEC+ framework to maintain stability in global oil markets, the Kremlin said.
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Al Arabiya
34 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Russia expects India to keep buying its oil and seeks China-India-Russia talks
Russia expects to continue supplying oil to India despite warnings from the United States, Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow hopes trilateral talks will soon take place with India and China. US President Donald Trump has announced an additional tariff of 25 percent on Indian goods exported to the US from August 27, as a punishment for buying Russian oil, which constitutes 35 percent of India's total imports compared with a negligible 0.2 percent before the Ukraine war. 'I want to highlight that despite the political situation, we can predict that the same level of oil import (by India),' Roman Babushkin, the charge d'affaires at the Russian embassy in India, told a press briefing. He predicted India and Russia would find ways to overcome Trump's latest tariffs in their 'national interests.' Trade talks between India and the US broke down over the opening up of India's vast farm and dairy sectors, as well as its purchases of Russian oil. The total tariff announced on Indian goods entering the US is 50 percent. The Indian foreign ministry did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. It has previously said the US decision to single out India for Russian purchases was 'extremely unfortunate.' Russia's Deputy Trade Commissioner Evgeny Griva on Wednesday said buying oil from Russia is 'very profitable' for India, which will not want to change its supplier. On average Russia gives a 5-7 percent discount to Indian buyers, he said, adding that Russia has a 'very, very special mechanism' to continue oil supplies to India. In addition, he said Russia had started accepting Indian rupee payments for its goods after the resolution of issues that had trapped billions of dollars worth of funds in Indian banks. 'Greater Eurasian partnership' As tensions between Washington and New Delhi rise, high-profile visits from New Delhi and Beijing in recent weeks have raised hopes on the part of the Asian neighbors that ties damaged by a 2020 border clash can be repaired. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to visit China for the first time in over seven years later this month. The planned visit was reported by Reuters last week, even as other high profile exchanges, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's two-day visit to New Delhi, concluded. At the same time, Russia is trying to revive long-standing plans for a trilateral meeting with India and China to help them forge a 'greater Eurasian partnership.' 'As far as the trilateral is concerned, we are quite hopeful that this format will be resumed sooner rather than later because its importance is not questioned,' Babushkin said. 'This is closely linked to the Russian initiative of the establishment of the greater Eurasian partnership,' Babushkin said. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Modi in New Delhi by the end of year, he said. Putin, Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also expected to all attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation starting August 31.


Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
US military vets are helping Afghans fight deportation
SAN DIEGO – As a journalist in Afghanistan, Abdul says he helped promote American values like democracy and freedom. That work, he said, resulted in him being tortured by the Taliban after the US withdrew from the country in 2021. Now he's in California applying for political asylum, amid the looming threat of deportation. "We trusted those values," he said. "We came here for safety, and we don't have it, unfortunately." But when Abdul walked into a San Diego court to plead his case, he wasn't alone. Ten veterans showed up for his hearing – unarmed, but dressed in hats and shirts to signify their military credentials as a "show of force", said Shawn VanDiver, a US Navy vet who founded 'Battle Buddies' to support Afghan refugees facing deportation. "Masked agents of the federal government are snatching up our friends, people who took life in our name and have done nothing wrong," he said. Approximately 200,000 Afghans relocated to the US after Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021, as the US left the country in chaos after two decades fighting the war on terror. Many say they quickly felt embraced by Americans, who recognised the sacrifices they had made to help the US military and fight for human rights. But since the Trump administration has terminated many of the programmes which protected them from deportation, Afghans now fear they will be deported and returned to their home country, which is now controlled by the Taliban. VanDiver, who also founded #AfghanEvac in 2021 to help allies escape the Taliban when the US withdrew, said US military veterans owe it to their wartime allies to try and protect them from being swept up in President Trump's immigration raids. "This is wrong." The Battle Buddies say they have a moral and legal obligation to stand and support Afghans. They now have more than 900 veteran volunteers across the country. Many of the federal agents working for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are veterans themselves, he said, and the Battle Buddies think their presence alone might help deter agents from detaining a wartime ally. "Remember, don't fight ICE," VanDiver told his fellow Battle Buddies outside court before Abdul's hearing, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. "If somebody does fight ICE, capture it on video. Those are the two rules." As Abdul and his lawyer went into court, the veterans stood in the corridor outside in a quiet and tense faceoff with half a dozen masked federal agents. It was the same hallway where an Afghan man, Sayed Naser, a translator who says he worked for the US military, was detained 12 June. "This individual was an important part of our Company commitment to provide the best possible service for our clients, who were the United States Military in Afghanistan," says one employment document submitted as part of Naser's asylum application and reviewed by the BBC's news partner in the US, CBS News. "I have all the documents," Naser told the agents as he was handcuffed and taken away, which a bystander captured on video. "I worked with the US military. Just tell them." Naser has been in detention since that day, fighting for political asylum from behind bars. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the BBC that there is nothing in his immigration records "indicating that he assisted the US government in any capacity". Whichever way Naser's case is decided, his detention is what inspired veterans to form the Battle Buddies. They say abandoning their wartime allies will hurt US national security because the US will struggle to recruit allies in the future. "It's short sighted to think we can do this and not lose our credibility," said Monique Labarre, a US Army veteran who showed up for Abdul's hearing. "These people are vetted. They put themselves at substantial risk by supporting the US government." President Trump has repeatedly blamed President Biden for a "disgraceful" and "humiliating" retreat from the country. But the US's withdrawal from Afghanistan was initially brokered by President Trump during his first term. In their wake, American troops left behind a power vacuum that was swiftly and easily filled by the Taliban, who took control of the capital city, Kabul, in August 2021. Afghans, many who worked with the US military and NGOs, frantically swarmed the airport, desperate to get on flights along with thousands of US citizens. Over the ensuing years, almost 200,000 Afghans would relocate to the US – some under special programmes designed for those most at risk of Taliban retribution. The Trump administration has since ended this programme, called Operation Enduring Welcome. It also ended the temporary protections which shielded some Afghans, as well as asylum seekers from several other countries, from deportation because of security concerns back home. "Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilising economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement about terminating Temporary Protected Status for Afghans. She added that some Afghans brought in under these programmes "have been under investigation for fraud and threatening our public safety and national security". Afghans in the United States scoff at the suggestion that they'd be safe going back, saying their lives would be in danger. "I couldn't work," said Sofia, an Afghan woman living in Virginia. "My daughters couldn't go to school." With the removal of temporary protected status, the Trump administration could deport people back to Afghanistan. Although that is so far rare, some Afghans have already begun to be deported to third countries, including Panama and Costa Rica. Sofia and other members of her family were among the thousands of Afghans who received emails in April from the Department of Homeland Security saying: "It is time for you to leave the United States." The email, which was sent to people with a variety of different kinds of visas, said their parole would expire in 7 days. Sofia panicked. Where would she go? She did not leave the United States, and her asylum case is still pending. But the letter sent shockwaves of fear throughout the Afghan community. When asked about protecting Afghan wartime allies on 30 July, President Trump said: "We know the good ones and we know the ones that maybe aren't so good, you know some came over that aren't so good. And we're going to take care of those people – the ones that did a job." Advocates have urged the Trump administration to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government. Advocates are hopeful that Naser will soon be released. They say he passed a "credible fear" screening while in detention, which can allow him to pursue political asylum because he fears persecution or torture if returned to Afghanistan. The Battle Buddies say they plan to keep showing up for wartime allies at court. It's not clear if their presence made a difference at Abdul's hearing – but he wasn't detained and is now a step closer to the political asylum he says he was promised. "It's a relief," he said outside court while thanking the US veterans for standing with him. But he said he still fears being detained by ICE, and he worries that the US values he believed in, and was tortured for, might be eroded. "In Afghanistan, we were scared of the Taliban," he said. "We have the same feeling here from ICE detention." – BBC


Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
US strikes deportation deals with Honduras and Uganda
WASHINGTON – The US has reached bilateral deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration, according documents obtained by the BBC's US partner CBS. Uganda has agreed to take an unclear number of African and Asian migrants who had claimed asylum on the US-Mexico border, while Honduras will receive several hundred deported people from Spanish-speaking countries, CBS reports. The move is part of an attempt by Donald Trump's administration to get more countries to accept deported migrants who are not their own citizens. Human rights campaigners have condemned the policy, saying migrants face the risk of being sent to countries where they could be harmed. Under the agreement, Uganda has agreed to accept deported migrants as long as they do not have criminal histories, but it's unclear how many the country would ultimately take, according to CBS. Honduras agreed to receive migrants over two years, including families travelling with children, but documents suggest it could decide to accept more. Both deals are part of the Trump administration's broader push for deportation arrangements with countries on several continents – including those with controversial human rights records. So far, at least a dozen nations have agreed to accept deported migrants from other countries. Last week, the US State Department announced it had signed a "safe third country" agreement with Paraguay to "share the burden of managing illegal immigration". The White House has also been actively courting several African nations, with Rwanda saying earlier this month it will take up to 250 migrants from the US. A condition of the deal specifies that Rwanda would have "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement", a government spokesperson told the BBC. Rwanda has previously been criticised for its human rights record, including the risk that those sent to the East African nation could be deported again to countries where they may face danger. Earlier this year, Panama and Costa Rica agreed to take in several hundred African and Asian migrants from the US. Government documents show the Trump administration has also approached countries like Ecuador and Spain to receive deported migrants, CBS reported. Since the start of his second term, Trump has embarked on sweeping efforts to remove undocumented migrants – a key election promise that drew mass support during this campaign. In June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland without giving them the chance to raise the risks they might face. At the time, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the majority ruling, calling the decision "a gross abuse". UN rights experts and human rights groups have also argued that these removals to a nation that is not the migrant's place of origin could violate international law. – BBC