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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Trump asks Zelenskyy if Ukraine can strike Moscow with US weapons
By Natalia Drozdiak and Josh Wingrove Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskiy whether Ukraine could strike Moscow, an inquiry that the White House says was merely a question but one that came hours after he voiced frustration at Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to accept a ceasefire in the war. During a July 4 phone call with the Ukrainian president, Trump quizzed Zelenskiy about whether Ukraine could hit the Russian capital and St. Petersburg if given US long-range weapons, according to a person briefed about the conversation. Zelenskiy replied that it could if the US provided the weapons, the person said. Asked about the details of the call, which were first reported by The Financial Times, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: 'President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war.' The conversation took place a day after Trump said he was 'very disappointed' by a phone call with Putin, in which the Russian leader insisted he wouldn't back down on his war aims. Ukraine has successfully targeted Moscow with drones in the past, but the long-range missiles provided by its western allies so far have lacked the capabilities to reach the city. Details of the discussion emerged a day after Trump pledged fresh weapons supplies to Kyiv that would be paid for by NATO allies, mainly from Europe, and threatened harsh financial penalties targeting Russian oil sales if Putin doesn't end the war on Ukraine within 50 days. Oil declined for a second day as traders doubted Trump's plan would pose a meaningful obstacle to Moscow's energy exports. Global benchmark Brent fell beneath $69 a barrel after losing 1.6% on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said Trump's public comments were 'serious' and Russia needed time to analyze them, according to the Interfax news service. 'Any attempts to make demands — especially ultimatums — are unacceptable for us,' Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also said Tuesday, the state-run Tass news service reported. Trump's move to raise pressure on Putin came after months of unsuccessful diplomacy aimed at persuading Russia to halt its war on Ukraine and negotiate a peace deal. Instead, Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. Trump told the BBC in an interview Monday that he was 'disappointed' in Putin, but not 'done with him.' The US president didn't explain how the proposed 'secondary tariffs' would work, but he has used the term in the past to describe duties imposed on countries for trading with American adversaries. The threats echo punishment spelled out in a bipartisan bill in Congress that would impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas such as China and India. 'We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100%,' Trump said during a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Monday. Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, said the planned action effectively represents secondary sanctions on countries buying oil from Russia. 'It's about tariffs on countries like India and China that are buying their oil,' he told reporters. 'And it really is going to, I think, dramatically impact the Russian economy.' China criticized the US effort to pressure Beijing over its energy ties with Moscow. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for deeper engagement with Russia in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday in Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said his country opposes 'long-arm jurisdiction.' Top-of-the-Line The comments mark the latest signal of Trump's growing impatience with Putin's refusal to end Moscow's war in Ukraine, which has dragged on since 2022. Yet, the arrangement risks Moscow continuing its barrage on the battlefield for weeks before it considers returning to talks. Putin has insisted he wants iron-clad assurances on resolving what he calls the root causes of the conflict, including by ending Ukraine's NATO ambitions and Western military support. Much of the defense materiel Kyiv will receive will depend on Europe's ability and willingness to make the purchases. Ukraine needs air-defense systems and drone interceptors as well as a constant supply of artillery shells and missiles. Trump said the US was sending a 'top-of-the-line weapons' package that includes Patriot air-defense batteries. 'We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it,' Trump said. Zelenskiy said Monday in a post on X that he'd spoken with Trump, who briefed him on his discussions with Rutte. 'We agreed to catch up more often by phone and coordinate our steps in the future as well,' he posted. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed Trump's announcement, adding that he 'assured him: Germany will decisively contribute.' Merz's government has suspended debt restrictions on defense spending both for the German army and military aid for Ukraine. Berlin is looking to finance the purchase of two Patriot batteries for Kyiv. Trump hailed Monday's announcement as a major shift in course, but the details of the decision also reflect Trump's priorities: It won't cost the US anything and Trump is not dedicating any new US funding to Ukraine, at least for now. The NATO chief said the bloc would coordinate among allies to fulfill Ukraine's military needs including air defense equipment, missiles and ammunition. Germany will play a major part, alongside Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands and Canada, according to Rutte. 'This is again Europeans stepping up,' Rutte said, adding that Putin should 'take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously.'
Mint
12-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Russia's Lavrov in North Korea for Latest High-Level Visit
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has started his three-day visit to North Korea as ties between the two heavily sanctioned nations continue to grow. The Russian minister and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui started talks in the resort city of Wonsan on Saturday, according to the Russian Interfax wire. In his opening remarks, Lavrov said Russian authorities would facilitate an increase in tourist flows from Russia to the North Korean resort, by creating the conditions necessary such as resolving air travel arrangements. North Korea opened the Wonsan‑Kalma Coastal Tourist Area on June 24, with Kim Jong Un presiding over the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Separately, the Russian minister addressed the participation of North Korean troops in the liberation of Russia's Kursk region from Ukraine forces and called it direct evidence that relations between the two countries can be described as an 'invincible brotherhood.' The visit comes less than a month after Pyongyang agreed to send an additional 6,000 military workers to Russia's Kursk region at a June meeting between Kim Jong Un and President Vladimir Putin's top security aide Sergei Shoigu. That was Shoigu's third time in Pyongyang in as many months. The two countries have been deepening ties after signing a military treaty last year to expand their strategic partnership under mounting international sanctions. Western governments have accused the Kremlin of bartering military technology for arms and manpower amid Putin's war on Ukraine. The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia has also helped Pyongyang's military gain modern, real-world combat experience. North Korea is now supplying as much as 40% of Russia's ammunition for the war and 'those are good weapons,' the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said in an interview with Bloomberg News. 'North Korea has huge stockpiles and production goes on around the clock,' he said. Lavrov's July 11-13 visit is part of 'the second round of strategic dialogue between the top diplomats,' Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, according to the state-run Tass news service. Choe Son Hui met with Putin and Lavrov in November during a trip to Moscow. Before Pyongyang, Lavrov was in Kuala Lumpur, where he met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Bloomberg
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Russia's Lavrov in North Korea for Latest High-Level Visit
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has started his three-day visit to North Korea as ties between the two heavily sanctioned nations continue to grow. The Russian minister and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui started talks in the resort city of Wonsan on Saturday, according to the Russian Interfax wire.
Zawya
11-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Russia says it plans to compensate oil overproduction in August-September
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that Russia intended to fully compensate for oil produced earlier in excess of OPEC+ quota in August-September, Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. He also said that the government was still discussing a possible complete gasoline export ban and that the decision depended on market prices in the next few days. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Anastasia Teterevleva Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia's Ryabkov says Trump administration's contradictory signals makes life difficult
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox MOSCOW - A senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration's contradictory actions and words made it difficult though Moscow was dedicated to working on improving ties with Washington. "The Trump administration is very contradictory in its actions and statements. This does not make the work easy," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the state TASS news agency. "Nevertheless," he quoted as saying, "we are persistently and consistently pursuing a course towards normalizing our relations." Ryabkov said that Russia knew how to resist any possible additional sanctions out of Washington, Interfax news agency reported. "We know how to resist sanctions. We see that in recent years we have developed tools and schemes that make it possible, by and large, to fill certain needs to a large extent through import substitution," Ryabkov said. REUTERS
