Free trade talks between India, Eurasian countries to start this year, Russian official says
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Putin and Trump could now be nearing a 'head-on collision'
Has the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin gone off the rails?A popular Russian newspaper thinks so. It turned to trains to illustrate the current state of US-Russian ties."A head-on collision seems unavoidable," declared tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets recently."The Trump locomotive and the Putin locomotive are speeding towards each other."And neither is about to turn off or stop and reverse."For the 'Putin locomotive', it's full steam ahead, with the so-called 'Special Military Operation': Russia's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader has shown no desire to end hostilities and declare a long-term ceasefire. Meanwhile, the 'Trump locomotive' has been accelerating efforts to pressure Moscow into ending the fighting: announcing deadlines, ultimatums, threats of additional sanctions against Russia and hefty tariffs on Russia's trading partners, like India and to all of that the two US nuclear submarines which President Trump claims he's repositioned closer to you switch from talking about locomotives to nuclear subs, you know things are does that mean the White House is really on a "collision course" with the Kremlin over Ukraine?Or is a visit to Moscow this week by Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, a sign that for all the posturing, a deal between Russia and America to end the fighting is still possible? A warm start following Trump's return In the early weeks of the second Trump presidency, Moscow and Washington appeared well on track to reboot their bilateral hint of a head-on collision. Far from it. At times it seemed as if Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump were in the same carriage, moving in the same direction. In February the United States sided with Russia at the United Nations, opposing a European-drafted resolution that had condemned Russia's "aggression" in a telephone call that month the two presidents talked about visiting each other's countries. It felt like a Putin-Trump summit could happen any day. Meanwhile the Trump administration was exerting pressure on Kyiv, not on Moscow, and picking fights with traditional US allies, such as Canada and Denmark. In speeches and TV interviews, American officials were fiercely critical of Nato and of European of this was music to the Kremlin's ears."America now has more in common with Russia than Washington does with Brussels or with Kyiv," political scientist Konstantin Blokhin from the Russian Academy of Sciences Centre for Security Studies told the Izvestia newspaper in following month the same newspaper was crowing:"The Trumpists are revolutionaries. They are wreckers of the system. They can only be supported in this. The unity of the West is no more. Geo-politically it is no longer an alliance. Trumpism has destroyed the Transatlantic consensus confidently and quickly." Meanwhile Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had become a regular visitor to Russia. He made four trips here in just over two months, spending hours in talks with Vladimir Putin. After one meeting, the Kremlin leader presented him with a portrait of Donald Trump to take back to the White Trump was said to be "clearly touched" by the President Trump was looking for more than just a painting from Moscow. He wanted President Putin to sign up to an unconditional comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump's increasing frustration Confident that Russia holds the initiative now on the battlefield, Vladimir Putin has been reluctant to stop fighting, despite his claim that Moscow is committed to a diplomatic is why Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the recent weeks he has condemned Russia's relentless attacks on Ukrainian cities as "disgusting", "disgraceful" and accused President Putin of talking "a lot of bullshit" on Ukraine. Last month, Donald Trump announced a 50-day ultimatum to President Putin to end the war, threatening sanctions and tariffs. He subsequently reduced that to ten days. The deadline is due to expire at the end of this week. So far, there is no sign that Vladimir Putin will yield to pressure from again, how much pressure does Vladimir Putin really feel under?"Because Donald Trump has changed so many deadlines and he's twisted one way or another, I don't think Putin takes him seriously," believes Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of international affairs at The New School, a university in New York City. "Putin's going to fight for as long as he can, or, unless Ukraine says, 'We're tired, we are willing to accept your conditions.'"I think Putin sits there in the Kremlin and thinks that he's fulfilling the dreams of the Russian tsars, and then the general secretaries such as Joseph Stalin, in showing the West that Russia should not be treated with disrespect." A deal is still possible From the picture I've painted so far it may look as if a head-on collision between the Putin and Trump locomotives is Trump sees himself as a great dealmaker and, from the look of things, he hasn't given up trying to secure one with Vladimir Witkoff is due back in Russia this week for talks with the Kremlin leader. We don't know what kind of an offer he may bring with him. But some commentators in Moscow predict there will be more carrot than stick. It did not go unnoticed that on Sunday President Trump said Russia "seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions". On Monday, Ivan Loshkarev, associate professor of political theory at MGIMO University, Moscowtold Izvestia that to facilitate dialogue, Mr Witkoff may present "advantageous offers of cooperation [to Russia] that would open up after a deal on Ukraine".Might that be enough to persuade the Kremlin to make peace after three-and-a-half years of war?There's no all, so far in Ukraine Vladimir Putin hasn't budged from his maximalist demands on territory, Ukraine's neutrality and the future size of the Ukrainian Trump wants a deal. Vladimir Putin wants victory. BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
Russia walks out of ballistic missile treaty with US as Medvedev warns nemesis Donald Trump & Europe ‘expect more'
DMITRY Medvedev slammed NATO's 'anti-Russian policy' for driving Russia to scrap the Cold War-era moratorium on nuclear missiles. In his latest online clash with Donald Trump, the ex-Russian president ominously warned the West to 'expect further steps'. 5 5 5 Medvedev's comments came shortly after Russia's Foreign Ministry said the country no longer regarded itself bound by the moratorium on the deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles. The ex-president wrote on X on Monday: "The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement on the withdrawal of the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is the result of NATO countries' anti-Russian policy. "This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps." The deputy head of Russia's powerful Security Council did not elaborate on the nature of the "further steps". The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed in December 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. But the US withdrew from the treaty in 2019, accusing Russia of breaking the rules. Moscow has since said it will not deploy the missiles - with ranges of 311 to 3,418 miles - unless Washington does first. But Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned last December that Moscow would have to respond to what he called the US and NATO's "destabilising actions". The ministry said: "Since the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of U.S.-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Foreign Ministry notes that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have disappeared." It comes as Trump said on Friday that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned to "the appropriate regions". Russia and China begin war games in Sea of Japan after Trump nuclear threat Trump and Medvedev have been locked in a war of words after the ex-Russian president accused Trump of 'playing the ultimatum game' over the White House's push to end the war in Ukraine. Trump first gave Putin 50 days to end the war - but slashed the deadline to just 10 days from July 29 due to a lack of progress on Moscow's part. The US president also vowed to impose secondary tariffs on Russia if a ceasefire agreement is not reached by August 8. Medvedev ominously warned Trump that Russia "isn't Israel or even Iran". 5 5 "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war," he wrote on a post on X. Trump blasted Medvedev's comments as 'foolish and inflammatory' before ordering nuclear submarines to be deployed near Russian waters. "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The US has the world's largest fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, led by the USS Virginia - a 377-foot vessel armed with cruise missiles. Trump v Medvedev: War of words July 2025: Donald Trump announced a 50-day deadline for Russia to move toward ending the war in Ukraine or face "severe" tariffs. Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, dismissed this as a "theatrical ultimatum" that Russia "didn't care" about. Late July 2025: President Trump reduced his deadline for Russia to secure a peace deal to just "10 or 12 days," threatening sanctions and secondary tariffs on countries that do business with Russia. In response, Medvedev wrote on X that Trump was "playing the ultimatum game" and warned that each new ultimatum was a step toward war, not between Russia and Ukraine, but with the United States. July 30, 2025: In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump publicly targeted Medvedev, calling him a "failed former President of Russia" who was "entering very dangerous territory" with his remarks. This statement came as Trump also announced a 25% tariff on India, criticizing its "dead economy" and continued defense and energy ties with Moscow. July 31, 2025: Medvedev retaliated on social media by referencing the "Dead Hand," a Cold War-era Soviet nuclear retaliation system, in a veiled threat to the US. He also stated that Trump's "jittery reaction" proved Russia was "completely in the right" and would continue on its own path. August 1, 2025: In a further escalation, President Trump announced he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned near Russia in response to Medvedev's "foolish and inflammatory statements." This move highlights the dangerous rhetorical turn the conflict has taken, now including nuclear threats from both sides. August 4, 2025: Medvedev blamed NATO countries for Russia's abandonment of a moratorium on short- and medium-range nuclear missiles. He added the West should "expect further steps".
Reuters
41 minutes ago
- Reuters
South Korea July consumer inflation +2.1% y/y, as expected
SEOUL, Aug 5 (Reuters) - South Korea's consumer prices rose 2.1% in July from a year earlier, slightly slower than the rise of 2.2% in June, government data showed on Tuesday. On a monthly basis, the consumer price index rose 0.2%, the fastest in four months, after no change in the previous month. The numbers were roughly in line with median forecasts of 2.13% and 0.22% tipped in a Reuters poll of economists.
