Latest news with #ceasefire
NHK
39 minutes ago
- Business
- NHK
Trump again urges Putin to agree on ceasefire, threatens tariffs, sanctions
US President Donald Trump has repeated his call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree on a ceasefire with Ukraine within 50 days, warning of tariffs and sanctions otherwise. Trump on Monday announced plans to send more weapons to Ukraine through NATO member countries, and threatened severe tariffs if Moscow does not make a deal with Kyiv within his time limit. As a new measure, he said the US will impose tariffs on countries that import Russian products. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters at the White House: "We're going to see what happens with President Putin. So far, I've been very disappointed with President Putin." He added, "I'm here to try and get us out of that mess." Trump went on to say, "At the end of 50 days, if we don't have a deal, it's going to be too bad," and, "The tariffs are going to go on, and other sanctions go on." Asked whether he is on Ukraine's side now, Trump answered, "No, I'm on nobody's side." He said: "I want the killing to stop in the Ukraine-Russia war. That's the side I am on."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bolton on Russian sanctions threat: Trump laying the groundwork to say ‘I'm done with it'
Former national security adviser John Bolton said Monday that President Trump could soon retreat from efforts to resolve Russia's war with Ukraine. The Trump administration has been engaged with both Kyiv and Moscow in search of peace, while GOP lawmakers have pushed for secondary sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'He didn't get what he wanted, which was a quick ceasefire from his friend Vladimir. He tried for six months, it's not going anywhere,' Bolton said of Trump during a Monday appearance on NewsNation's 'On Balance.' 'So now he's justifying taking steps against Putin, but I think it also lays the groundwork for him to say, 'I'm done with it, it's Europe's war, that's what I said in the beginning, I'm done with it,'' he added. On Monday, the president threatened to impose tariffs on the Kremlin if Russia continues to reject ceasefire proposals. 'We're very, very unhappy with [Russia], and we're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in about 50 days,' Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office. Bolton said the increased pressure comes after Putin has outwitted Trump for months by prolonging the peace process. 'I think he believed Putin was his friend — I think he still believes Putin was his friend. But you know, you can have arguments with your friends, they don't last forever,' Bolton told anchor Leland Vittert. 'I think what was really going on today was that he was saying, 'this is not my war, this is Biden's war', and in 50 days, he may put secondary sanctions on Russia or he may not. I think he's trying to walk away from this,' he added. Last week, NATO leaders struck a deal with the Trump administration outlining the organization's purchase of U.S. weapons to be sent to Ukraine in an effort to support the defense of their sovereign borders. Trump said Monday the systems would include Patriot missile defense batteries to increase Ukraine's air surveillance, providing more warning of incoming strikes from Russia. 'Look, a number of American commanders in Europe, former commanders in the European combatant command, have said they think Ukraine could win the war. And I think what the U.S. could do uniquely to help the Ukrainians out is give them a strategy to do that, and then give them the weapons systems that they need,' Bolton told NewsNation. 'And I understand it's three years into this thing, but the fact is Putin thinks he's on a roll now, he thinks he's doing well in Ukraine militarily. I don't understand how he believes that, but that's what he believes. And a real defeat on the battlefield would have implications not just for what Russia's done in Ukraine, but for Russia's threat to all the former parts of the Soviet Union and to China watching America stand up to this aggression.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hezbollah's Radwan Unit 'unfit' to carry out large-scale invasion into Israel
According to data collected by the Alma Center, the Radwan Unit was rendered unfit, at least temporarily, to launch a large-scale invasion into northern Israel. Since Hezbollah joined the Israel-Hamas war and until the ceasefire on November 27, 2024, Hezbollah suffered a 'fatal blow,' Tal Beeri, Head of the Research Department at the Alma Center for the Study of Security Challenges in the North, wrote in an analysis published Wednesday. The analysis, titled "Radwan Unit: The elimination of its operatives teaches about attempts to return to the South Litani and rebuild operational readiness," focused on IDF operations against the Radwan unit during the war and the organization's conduct since the ceasefire. Beeri estimated that after the attacks, the Radwan Unit was rendered unfit, at least temporarily, to carry out its central mission of launching a large-scale invasion into northern Israel. 'Even the chance of a more limited invasion, of 'only' dozens or 'only' a few hundred operatives, is extremely low," he wrote. Since the ceasefire, according to the data collected by the center, 108 Hezbollah operatives have been documented and confirmed as killed from open sources. Of these, 13 operatives, about 12%, were from the Radwan Unit. Beeri noted that this is a high percentage relative to the size of the unit within the total military force of Hezbollah, adding that "All 13 operatives of the Radwan Unit who were killed since the ceasefire were eliminated in the area south of the Litani River ('Area 1701')." "The first confirmed killing of an operative from the Radwan Unit, according to open-source materials, occurred on March 4, 2025,' Beeri wrote, adding that the unit began making its return to the area south of the Litani River 'no later than three months after the ceasefire began." "It seems that in the first months following the ceasefire, and in light of the damage done to it, the Radwan Unit lowered its profile and may have physically distanced itself from southern Lebanon, with an emphasis on the area south of the Litani River," he explained. The analysis detailed the process of rebuilding and regaining strength that the unit has begun implementing, explaining that operatives have begun carrying out recovery and rebuilding actions, 'including re-establishing their presence in southern Lebanon in general, and south of the Litani in particular. 'It seems that this renewed presence and activity began to be detected by Israel's intelligence collection sensors. As is known, intelligence collection sensors are not airtight, and accordingly, counteraction efforts are not airtight either." Beeri's analysis of the findings showed the Radwan Unit's repeated attempts to return and operate in southern Lebanon, 'largely in a covert manner." "As part of building its updated operational plans, the Radwan Unit is focusing on building readiness for carrying out targeted terrorist operations against the IDF's presence in southern Lebanon or for infiltrating into Israel,' he added. 'From details gathered from various reports about the eliminations of Radwan operatives in southern Lebanon, it is clear that the Radwan Unit is 'recalculating its course' and rebuilding its operational plans to be prepared to execute them." According to Beeri, such actions could manifest in "an attempt to infiltrate a specific area of Israeli territory using small cells, carrying out an attack against IDF forces in Lebanon, and so on." He emphasized the importance of maintaining the IDF's presence along the border, as well as stating that the deployment of the Lebanese Army didn't provide any real deterrence or control. "Recently, it was reported that the Lebanese Army is deployed in about 80% of the area south of the Litani River. However, it cannot be concluded that they control the entire area where they are deployed,' Beeri stated, adding that it was 'highly doubtful' that the Lebanese Army could deter the Radwan Unit in southern Lebanon. Beeri concluded by calling for the preservation of security capabilities in the border communities. "Alongside the IDF's preparation in southern Lebanon, it is necessary to preserve the ability of the border communities to defend themselves, maintaining the readiness of their response units as a last line of defense in situations where a small number of terrorists might infiltrate into the community."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
IDF strikes Hezbollah Radwan training camps deep in Lebanese territory
An attack on mere Hezbollah infantry training camps, which lack threatening weapons, shows how up against the wall Hezbollah is. The IDF on Tuesday attacked Hezbollah Radwan training camps around 100 km. deep into Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley, showing that it is now ready to attack the group anywhere in Lebanon, even if high-quality weapons are not in play. After the November 27, 2024, ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israel and the IDF primarily relegated any attacks to keeping Hezbollah forces out of southern Lebanon – enforcing the letter of the law of the ceasefire deal. However, as weeks and months passed since the ceasefire, Israel started to occasionally target specific Hezbollah sites in Beirut or deeper into the country, where the Lebanese terror group was starting to try to restore or reposition its remaining high-quality missiles and rockets. Tuesday's attack was unusual because it did not involve southern Lebanon and did not involve any high-quality weapons. Rather, the IDF said it had attacked Hezbollah's Radwan special forces' training camps and their storage centers for ammunition. Located over 100 km. away, these camps and their regular ammunition present no immediate or even medium-term threat to Israel, given that they would need to try to return to southern Lebanon, which Hezbollah has failed to do to date, before they could even try to conceive of invading Israel. Despite these facts, the IDF stated that the sole reason for the existence of these camps was to train for invading Israel at some point, and as such, it was in Israel's interest to disrupt the training. Also, the IDF noted that the threat was not theoretical, as Radwan is the special forces whose primary goal for years had been to invade the Galilee and conquer portions of it, in a nightmare scenario that could have been worse than Hamas's October 7 invasion. Next, the IDF recalled that in September 2024, it had managed to kill almost all of Radwan's senior commanders, but that IDF intelligence had detected attempts by Radwan to remake itself in these Bekaa Valley camps. Likewise, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel will strike any attempt by Radwan or other Hezbollah forces to try to rebuild capabilities for invading the Jewish state. All of this takes place as Hezbollah is at a low point in its power militarily and politically in Lebanon versus the other ethnic groups in the country, which also have stakes in aspects of state power. Israel's periodically hitting its capabilities and mid-level commanders from the air, its loss at least for now of Iranian financial support due to Tehran's need to recover from its own war with Israel, and the loss of the alliance with the Assad regime in Syria, have left Hezbollah hounded on several fronts simultaneously, and other Lebanese groups vying to reduce its control over the state.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump defends giving Putin '50 days' to make peace with Ukraine
After President Donald Trump threatened to impose "very severe" economic penalties against Vladimir Putin's Russia if he doesn't agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine within 50 days, the Trump administration has so far declined to provide many additional details about the consequences Russia will face or why he picked the deadline he chose. "Well, at the end of 50 days, if we don't have a deal, it's going to be too bad," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. When asked why he decided to give the Russian leader nearly two months to comply with his demand, President Trump deflected. "I don't think 50 days is very long. It could be sooner than that," Trump said. "You should have asked that same question to Biden. Why did he get us into this war?" he continued. "You know why he got us in? Because he's a dummy, that's why." MORE: Trump sending weapons to Ukraine, threatens 'severe tariffs' against Russia if ceasefire deal not reached in 50 days Despite pledging additional U.S. made weapons for Ukraine, Trump also said he didn't support Ukraine's President Zelenskyy ordering strikes on the Russian capital. "He shouldn't target Moscow," he said. "No, we're not looking to do that." MORE: Trump admin live updates: WH confirms Trump, Zelenskyy discussed strikes on Moscow MORE: Russia 'didn't care' about Trump's weapons for Ukraine, tariff threats, official says On Monday, Trump said that Russia's failure to reach a negotiated settlement with Ukraine within 50 days would lead to his administration imposing a 100% tariff rate on Russian imports as well as what he called "secondary tariffs" on countries that have continued to do business with Moscow. "We're very, very unhappy with him," Trump said of Putin on Monday. "We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days." U.S. imports from Russia, which totaled around $3 billion in 2024 according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, account for a small share of Moscow's revenue, meaning Trump's threat to hike tariffs on Russian goods likely wouldn't pack much punch. However, the president's promise to raise tariffs on imports from third-party countries could carry more weight. Some secondary sanctions aimed at weakening Russia's war economy are already in place. The Biden administration steadily ramped up its use of the penalties throughout the conflict, primarily targeting foreign financial institutions accused of supporting Moscow's military industrial complex and the so-called "shadow fleet" of tanker operators working to circumvent Western sanctions and price caps on Russian oil. But going after countries that import oil and other resources from Russia would be a significant escalation. Through much of the war, the Biden administration avoided taking direct aim at Russian energy exporters out of concern that doing so would cause global fuel prices to rise. Instead, the former administration worked with other members of the G7 to cap the price of Russian oil products, cutting into Moscow's profits while allowing the exports to remain on the market. Trump, on the other hand, has previously promised to go after Russia's customers. In March, Trump threatened to put "secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia" during an interview with NBC News -- adding "if you buy oil from Russia, you can't do business in the United States." The White House has yet to release specific details on Trump's secondary tariffs, but his ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said on Monday the top importers of Russian oil would be in the administration's crosshairs. "It's about tariffs on countries like India and China that are buying their oil. And it really is going to I think dramatically impact the Russian economy," he said during an interview with CNN. But whether the secondary tariffs would stop at countries like China and India is an open question. Despite the web of sanctions in place against Russia, the country still has many meaningful trade relationships, including ones with European allies. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU has significantly dropped its share of Russian oil and gas imports and its plan to fully phase out those imports isn't expected to fully come to fruition until the end of 2027 at the earliest. Some Eastern European and Central Asian countries also have economies that rely on doing business with Russia, meaning they would almost certainly be unable to significantly scale back trade with Russia and would have the face the consequences of secondary tariffs. If the president sticks to his 50-day window, Russia can continue to carry out its summertime campaign against Ukraine until early September without facing additional consequences. In his interview with CNN, Whitaker was also asked about how Trump made the decision on the timeline but didn't give a clear answer. "The time to end the slaughter is now. The time to end the killing is now. And so 50 days is the appropriate amount of time because it needs to happen now," he responded. Currently, Russia is making modest gains against Ukraine and may soon seek to leverage those advances to launch additional offenses in the eastern reach of the country, according to a recent assessment from the Institute of the Study of War. Many officials and experts have long predicted that the Kremlin would push off serious talks on ending the war until the cooler months set in because it hopes to strengthen its position at the negotiating table by claiming as much territory as possible during the summer season. In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Trump indicated he still wanted to pursue diplomacy with Russia, but that his patience with Putin was wearing thin. "I'm not done with him, but I'm disappointed with him," he said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump's threats on Monday, saying Moscow needed "time to analyze" the comments. "The U.S. president's statements are very serious," Peskov said.
