Latest news with #USRelations
CNA
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Russia and China discuss Ukraine war and ties with the United States
MOSCOW: Russia and China's foreign ministers on Sunday discussed their relations with the United States and the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. President Vladimir Putin's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing on Sunday (Jun 13). Lavrov is due to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) foreign ministers in China. "The parties also discussed relations with the United States and prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis," the foreign ministry said. "The importance of strengthening close coordination between the two countries in the international arena, including in the United Nations and its Security Council, the SCO, BRICS, the G20 and APEC, was emphasized," the ministry said. China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Putin has sometimes described China as an "ally".
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia and China discuss Ukraine war and ties with the United States
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia and China's foreign ministers on Sunday discussed their relations with the United States and the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. President Vladimir Putin's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing on Sunday. Lavrov is due to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) foreign ministers in China. "The parties also discussed relations with the United States and prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis," the foreign ministry said. "The importance of strengthening close coordination between the two countries in the international arena, including in the United Nations and its Security Council, the SCO, BRICS, the G20 and APEC, was emphasized," the ministry said. China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Putin has sometimes described China as an "ally". The U.S. casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Russia and China discuss Ukraine war and ties with the United States
MOSCOW, July 13 (Reuters) - Russia and China's foreign ministers on Sunday discussed their relations with the United States and the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. President Vladimir Putin's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing on Sunday. Lavrov is due to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) foreign ministers in China. "The parties also discussed relations with the United States and prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis," the foreign ministry said. "The importance of strengthening close coordination between the two countries in the international arena, including in the United Nations and its Security Council, the SCO, BRICS, the G20 and APEC, was emphasized," the ministry said. China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Putin has sometimes described China as an "ally". The U.S. casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat.
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Europe Waits, and Hopes, for a Trade Deal
The European Union is hoping for a rough draft of a trade deal with the United States this week, pushing frantically toward a resolution as other American trading partners receive letters threatening painfully high across-the-board tariffs. President Trump suggested on Tuesday that he could send such a letter to the European Union this week, even as he acknowledged progress in their negotiations. But Olof Gill, a spokesman for the E.U.'s executive arm, said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that it was his 'understanding' that the 27-nation bloc will not receive a simple White House decree informing them of its tariff rate. Instead, European officials have been working toward a bare-bones deal that can then be fleshed out. 'We are looking for a clear framework from which we can keep building,' Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the E.U.'s executive branch, told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday morning. Maros Sefcovic, the bloc's main trade negotiator, had a call with Howard Lutnick, the U.S. commerce secretary, on Tuesday, and was scheduled to speak to the U.S. trade representative, Jamieson Greer, on Wednesday evening, Mr. Gill said. The E.U. is now in 'the most sensitive phase of negotiations,' he said, adding that the goal was to have an agreement 'as quickly as possible,' ideally in the coming days. Mr. Trump had seemed to call that quick resolution into question on Tuesday. 'They're very tough, but now they're being very nice to us, and we'll see what happens,' he said of the Europeans. 'We're probably two days off from sending them a letter.' He then added, 'A letter means a deal.' The comments sowed confusion in Brussels on Wednesday, though officials were still hoping to avoid a broad-brush missive. Even if a negotiated agreement is reached, Europe is likely to feel economic pain. Any agreement is expected to include at least a 10 percent base line tariff, with some carve-outs for critical products like Airbus airplanes. Negotiators have been pushing for exemptions on sector-specific tariffs on products including cars and metals, but those details have been fluid. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that he wanted to eventually raise tariffs on pharmaceuticals — Europe's largest export to the United States — to 200 percent, and said that tariffs on copper and other products were coming soon. European countries including Germany have been pushing for a rapid deal that forestalls worse outcomes and ends months of paralyzing uncertainty. Germany's large auto sector has been particularly suffering. 'We would like to have an understanding quite soon' because sectorial tariffs 'are really harming us,' Bernd Lange, a member of the European Parliament from Germany, said on Wednesday.
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie says Kevin Rudd not 'successfully' doing his job after copper, pharma tariff threats
Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie has blamed for Australia's ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd for our 'clunky' relationship with the US. Senator McKenzie says if Mr Rudd had been 'successfully doing his job', Australia would have secured a meeting with Donald Trump by now and would not be blindsided by announcements from the White House. The comments about Mr Rudd's position in Washington comes as the US President flagged punitive 50 per cent tariffs on copper and up to 200 per cent on pharmaceuticals imports. While Australia's copper exports to the US totalled just $55m, pharmaceutical exports accounted for about 40 per cent of exports in 2024 at the value of $2bn. Although Senator McKenzie said questions about Mr Rudd's future in Washington are a 'decision for government,' she had doubts about his performance. 'Is he successfully doing his job would be my question, because if he was, the Prime Minister would be able to pick up the phone and we wouldn't be having to be worried about reviews in AUKUS, a $2bn export industry potentially (being) at risk but we don't really know the details because we can't just pick up the phone or get the meeting,' she told the ABC. 'We've got … issues with copper, we've got issues with steel and aluminium, and we've got calls from the US to increase defence spending that we're continually ignoring.' Senator McKenzie, who is also the Coalition's infrastructure and transport spokeswoman, said Australia was facing a 'raft' of issues on the Australian-US dynamic, and said it was Mr Rudd's job to improve communications. This comes with Mr Albanese under increasing pressure to secure a face-to-face meeting with the US leader, with the next window set for the Quad meeting slated for early September in India. 'And it is the ambassador's main job to smooth those waters, and if he was doing his job, things wouldn't be as clunky as they seem to be, where you see treasurer Chalmers this morning almost being taken by surprise from comments out of the US,' she said. Asked if this assessment 'was fair' given Mr Trump's 'erratic' leadership, Senator McKenzie said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has managed to have 'close, personal, warm relationship with President Trump'. She said this resulted Sir Starmer being given a heads up before the US launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June. 'The reality is the US remains our most important ally. The truth is, we can't afford to defend ourselves without them,' she continued. 'And the casual approach by the Albanese government post the US election has been troubling, and I think it's my job in the opposition to raise these concerns.' While Australia's current universal tariffs are expected to remain at a baseline 10 per cent, Mr Chalmers said Australia will not negotiate on weakening the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme which subsidises hundred of medicines despite Mr Trump's latest tariff threat.
