On Cam: Israel BORDER Breached, IDF Loses Control As Arab Forces CLASH With Israel-Backed Fighters
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged India, China, and Brazil to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into agreeing to a Ukraine ceasefire, or face secondary US sanctions and 100% tariffs. Rutte's statement follows Donald Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Putin to begin peace talks, or watch his allies face economic blowback. 'Call Putin and tell him to get serious,' said Rutte, warning of a 'massive hit' if these nations continue energy trade with Moscow. While Trump didn't name names, senators in the US are pushing legislation targeting countries like India, Brazil, and China with 500% tariffs for continuing business with Russia. India is currently negotiating a sensitive trade deal with the US, and this new threat could reshape diplomacy ahead of a crucial fall deadline. The message is clear: keep buying Russian oil, and pay the price.#nato #india #russia #china #brazil #donaldtrump #natoindiasanctions #russiasanctions #indiachinabrazil #putinultimatum #ukrainewar #markrutte #usindiatensions #oilsanctions #globalgeopolitics #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Crude truth: India draws a red line on strategic autonomy amid Nato pressure
Sovereignty cannot be traded for approval ratings in Brussels or Washington. Energy security, economic pragmatism, and strategic autonomy will continue to define India's foreign policy no matter who disapproves read more In a sharp and measured response to Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte's recent threat of secondary sanctions, India made it unequivocally clear on Thursday that it will not compromise its national interest at the altar of Western political expediency. The Ministry of External Affairs cautioned against 'double standards' and defended its procurement of Russian crude oil as a decision rooted in market logic and sovereign responsibility. The West may be attempting to reassert control over the global order through pressure tactics, but India, along with other Brics nations, has outgrown the phase of bowing to moral lectures from the Atlantic alliance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rutte's comments, delivered from Washington, marked a significant escalation. In what can only be described as a veiled threat, he warned India, China, and Brazil that continued commercial ties with Russia could 'hit them very hard'. His statement followed US President Donald Trump's announcement of 'very severe tariffs' on Russia if peace with Ukraine is not achieved within 50 days. Taken together, these remarks are not just an extension of Western frustration at the failure to isolate Moscow; they represent a deliberate attempt to bully large, independent powers that have dared to chart their course on the Ukraine conflict. India's reaction was firm but diplomatic. 'We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments,' said Randhir Jaiswal, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson. 'Securing the energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us,' he added. Most critically, he warned against 'any double standards on the matter', a phrase that cuts to the heart of the global hypocrisy that defines Western foreign policy today. Let's be clear: when Europe continued to import Russian gas in the initial months of the Ukraine war under the guise of 'energy dependency', it was considered a rational act. When India does the same with crude oil, it's branded as undermining the global order. Why should New Delhi entertain such selective outrage? Rutte's remarks betray an old colonial instinct that the West still struggles to shed: that major non-Western powers are expected to play second fiddle to transatlantic dictates. However, the world of 2025 is not the unipolar, West-centric world of the 1990s. India today is not just the fourth-largest economy in the world but a key pole in the emerging multipolar world order—one that does not automatically align with Nato's geopolitical chessboard. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India's energy diplomacy with Russia is grounded in pragmatism. With discounts on Russian crude offering a cushion against global price shocks, it has had to manage inflation, keep its fiscal deficit in check, and ensure the supply of affordable fuel to its vast population. For a country where hundreds of millions still live close to the poverty line, the idea of sacrificing energy security to satisfy Western foreign policy objectives is both irresponsible and morally indefensible. Moreover, India's balanced and independent position on the Ukraine conflict has found resonance in the Global South. Far from isolating Russia, the West's sanctions regime has unintentionally strengthened the Brics and other alternative groupings. The Global South sees the Ukraine war not as a simple battle between good and evil, but as a proxy war between geopolitical blocs, with Europe dragging the world into an economic quagmire of its own making. Rutte's suggestion that India should call up Russian President Vladimir Putin and urge him to negotiate peace is, frankly, laughable. Since when has Nato or the US needed moral nudging from countries like India to pursue diplomacy? Nato's track record in Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq hardly makes it a credible champion of peace. Instead of lectures, the West should reflect on the consequences of its zero-sum approach that leaves no space for neutral positions or alternative diplomatic pathways. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Equally concerning is Donald Trump's effort to portray India's ties with other Brics nations as 'anti-American'. This line of thinking is reductive and dangerous. India's membership in Brics does not make it anti-Western. Rather, it reflects its desire to be part of a diversified global architecture, one where financial systems, energy flows, and political narratives are not monopolised by a single bloc. India's strategic autonomy has been a consistent thread in its foreign policy from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi. Whether it was refusing to join Western sanctions during the Cold War or rejecting Chinese-dominated narratives today, India has always maintained a careful balance. The West must recognise that its geopolitical anxieties do not automatically become India's priorities. Indeed, this episode exposes the growing tensions between the older order, represented by Nato, and the emerging realities of a multipolar world. The West, rather than expanding its coercive apparatus, should start investing in genuine partnerships that respect mutual interests and sovereignty. The language of threats and tariffs only hardens positions and alienates rising powers like India, which have long outgrown their role as passive rule-takers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India is not alone in this stance. Brazil and China, too, have deepened their economic engagement with Russia since the Ukraine war. Despite relentless pressure, they have refused to toe the Nato line. The result? An alternative ecosystem of trade, diplomacy, and energy cooperation is gradually but firmly taking shape, one that may soon rival the West's dominance of global systems. In sum, Rutte's remarks and Trump's tariff threats only underline the West's growing desperation to maintain relevance in a rapidly changing world. India's response, by contrast, reflects the maturity, balance, and confidence of a rising power that knows where its interests lie. Sovereignty cannot be traded for approval ratings in Brussels or Washington. Energy security, economic pragmatism, and strategic autonomy will continue to define India's foreign policy no matter who disapproves. Let the world take note: India is not a vassal state. It is a civilisational power that makes its own choices. And those choices will always put Indians first. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The writer is a technocrat, political analyst, and author. He pens national, geopolitical, and social issues. His social media handle is @prosenjitnth. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Zelenskiy Promotes Allies Who've Shown They Can Deal With Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's cabinet overhaul this week was part of an effort to move into position presidential loyalists who can potentially win favor with Donald Trump. The new prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, took office 11 weeks after her team at the Economy Ministry secured a deal with the US over access to Ukraine's natural resources. That agreement, which gave Trump a win in an otherwise fruitless effort to end Russia's war on Ukraine, came together after weeks of grinding negotiations. Svyrydenko, who took the lead on the talks in the weeks after Zelenskiy was upbraided by Trump and his team in the Oval Office, rushed to Washington at the end of April to sign the deal. Zelenskiy had been deliberating replacing long-time premier Denys Shmyhal with Svyrydenko, a 39-year-old former presidential aide, since last year, according to people familiar with his thinking. Her role in the stormy negotiations with the Americans clinched his decision to make the change, the people said, on condition of anonymity. The reshuffle coincides with an about-face in the US administration, with Trump — who had for months belittled Ukraine's wartime leader — turning his ire on Vladimir Putin. The US leader has grown frustrated with the Russian president's refusal to entertain a ceasefire. That turn culminated this week in Trump's threat to impose stiff tariffs on Moscow and pledge to send fresh weapons to Kyiv — though relying on funding from NATO's European allies. With uncertainty over how long the Trump turn may last, the Ukrainian government has moved quickly to align with the more favorable circumstances. Svyrydenko's efforts on the resources deal helped turn around what had been a potentially dire ultimatum for Kyiv. Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta Research Institute in Kyiv, said initial US demands that would effectively make Kyiv permanently indebted to Washington were 'neutralized.' When the then-economy minister jumped on a plane to Washington, a framework agreement was to be followed by a range of technical accords. In mid-air, Svyrydenko's team was informed the Americans wanted to sign all simultaneously as an overall agreement. A deal was reached, covering resources including oil and gas, graphite and aluminum, just as Trump marked his first 100 days in office. One advantage was her good rapport with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, one of the people said. 'Svyrydenko managed to avoid risks in the resources deal and proved herself successful as a negotiator,' Fesenko said in an interview, sealing her path to the premiership. Her promotion aligns with Zelenskiy's long-standing penchant — one that's invited criticism — for empowering loyalists at the expense of others outside the circle of the president and his powerful top aide, Andriy Yermak. Svyrydenko climbed the ranks from state administration in the Chernihiv region to high office in Kyiv. As economy minister, she was first deputy prime minister until this week. Svyrydenko was the only candidate Zelenskiy was considering for the new premier after he observed her work in the government, a person said. She proved her ability to tackle Ukraine's biggest challenges of securing more financing and to boost economic growth during her time at the Economy Ministry, the person said. Alongside the new premier, several others involved in the resources accord were promoted. Former Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka was appointed as Svyrydenko's deputy to oversee European Union integration. And while Zelenskiy initially considered his defense chief, Rustem Umerov, as ambassador to the US, he ultimately chose former deputy premier and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna. She was part of multiple delegations to the US during talks over resources and is well-known in Washington, a person said. 'The American track is very important, and we have at least three axes of cooperation — the resources fund, the trade deal, and the weapons agreement,' Svyrydenko told reporters in Kyiv on Friday.
United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening
Singapore, July 19 (UNI) In an interesting turn of event, North Korea has said that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists. The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened early this month on July one, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ambitions to boost tourism. Before its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea's tourism website says that foreigners are "temporarily" not allowed to visit, reports BBC. Last week, when the first Russian tourists reportedly arrived at the resort in Wonsan, around the same time, Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met Kim in the city. Lavrov, while hailing the seaside development as a "good tourist attraction", said he hoped it would become popular among Russians. Two countries are set to launch direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang by the end of the month, BBC quoted from an AFP news report. A Russian tour guide previously told NK News that they had planned several more trips to the resort in the coming months. Wonsan, a city along North Korea's east coast, is home to some of the country's missile facilities and a large maritime complex. It's also where Kim spent much of his youth, among holiday villas belonging to the country's elites. The new seaside resort has lined four km of its beachfront with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park. It has a capacity of some 20,000 people, according to state media. However, since the resort began construction in 2018, human rights groups have protested the alleged mistreatment of its workers. They point to reports of people being forced to work long hours to finish the massive project, under harsh conditions and inadequate compensation. Russian ambassadors attended the resort's completion ceremony on June 24, along with Kim and his family. Last year, North Korea allowed Russian tourists to visit the country after a years-long suspension of tourism during the pandemic. In February, North Korea also allowed tourists from the West, including Australia, France, Germany and the UK. But all of a sudden, it abruptly halted tourism weeks later, without any explanation. UNI XC SS
