Russia to stop abiding by defunct INF treaty, scrap self-imposed missile limits
The Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, known as INF Treaty, was one of the key nuclear arms control pacts between the US and Russia.
The INF treaty expired in 2019 due to heightened tensions between the two nations.
Nevertheless, Russia had maintained that it would refrain from producing or deploying INF systems as long as the US did not deploy similar missiles.
The Russian foreign ministry issued a statement on Monday saying that "the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of American-made ground-based intermediate-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region."
It noted that "the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have disappeared."
The ministry added that Russia "no longer consider itself bound by the relevant self-imposed restrictions."
Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the need to resume the production of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and to deploy them.
On Friday, he revealed that mass production of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile called Oreshnik had begun, and that it is slated for deployment.
US President Donald Trump is urging Russia to agree to a ceasefire in its conflict with Ukraine by Friday.
He has warned that if Moscow fails to meet the deadline, it will face severe tariffs.
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Akazawa returns to U.S. for more talks as tariff deal looks shaky
A trade deal reached by Japan and the United States after months of talks has turned out to be exceedingly fragile, as it emerged that the two countries view the handshake agreement very differently . The lack of formal documentation and slow implementation by the United States of a key tariff concession have left open the possibility that there's not much of deal to begin with . 'The recent Japan-U.S. agreement regarding U.S. tariff measures does not constitute a legally binding international commitment,' economy and fiscal policy minister Ryosei Akazawa told a Lower House budget committee hearing on Monday. Akazawa, Japan's chief negotiator in talks with the United States who shook hands with U.S. President Donald Trump to signal the agreement, departed Tokyo again on Tuesday evening for a four-day trip to Washington. Just two weeks after his triumphant mission-accomplished moment, Akazawa is back in the U.S. for a ninth round of talks. Under the terms of the July 22 deal, the U.S. will impose a 15% 'reciprocal' tariff on most Japanese goods — up from the current 10% but lower than the 25% Washington threatened to impose. Implementation of this portion has been set for Thursday . Also agreed upon was that Trump's tariffs on automobiles were to be cut in half from 25%, with the new total being 15% when a 2.5% levy independent of the Trump tariffs is included. The White House put out a fact sheet soon after the two sides reached the agreement, and the Japanese government issued a four-page powerpoint slide with an outline of the agreement. Among the discrepancies found between the two documents was the implementation of a $550 billion investment pledged by Japan. The U.S. president said Japan will invest at least that amount and at his direction, and that the United States would keep 90% of the profits. Japan said all it had agreed to was to provide loans, loan guarantees and equity investment up to that total through financial institutions backed by the government, and that direct equity investment will be just 1%-2% of the $550 billion. Japanese officials, including Akazawa and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, have repeatedly said there's no plan to issue a joint statement with the United States of any sort. 'There are pros and cons of drafting an agreement document. And because the cons outweigh the pros and it would not serve Japan's national interest, the decision was made not to issue a formal agreement document,' Ishiba told the Lower House on Monday. He said the government will consider releasing more details of the agreement in the coming days. Japan views auto exports as vital to its economy and wants the U.S. to cut the tariff on cars as soon as possible. | Reuters The United Kingdom has a written agreement with the U.S. outlining its trade deal as negotiated with the Trump administration, but the European Union and South Korea do not. In its fact sheet, the EU noted in a bold font that the deal it reached with the U.S. is 'not legally binding.' Richard Katz, an economist and author of 'The Contest for Japan's Economic Future,' said Japan is likely hoping that 'if we don't put the agreement in writing, we don't have to fulfill Trump's demands. 'It can evade the promises Trump may think Japan made — or that Trump is just making up now — all while insisting that Japan is fulfilling its part of the bargain.' The Trump administration has yet to issue a direct order to lower the levies on Japanese vehicles. Auto manufacturing is seen by Japan as a business at the core of its economic interests, and its insistence that the United States lower the rate or eliminate the new duty altogether on cars became a major sticking point during negotiations. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that tariff rates could "boomerang" back to 25% if Trump is 'unhappy' with the implementation of the deal — specifically the $550 billion of investment by Japan into the U.S. One thing that the two sides do have mutual understanding on, according to Akazawa, is the need to ensure the other side lives up to its commitments. 'We have been asking the U.S. to sign the necessary presidential order to lower tariffs on automobiles as soon as possible, and the U.S. side also wants to move forward while reaffirming a shared understanding of the agreement,' Akazawa told an Upper House meeting before his departure. 'We will press for the prompt issuance of a presidential order on auto and auto parts tariffs, even if it's just a day sooner,' he added. "What we are asking for is very simple — just for the president to issue an executive order setting automobile tariffs at 15%,' Akazawa said in Tokyo just before leaving for the airport on Tuesday. 'It's not that there are complicated negotiations or tactics involved.'
Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
'Not a normal person': Ishiba shoots from the hip when it comes to Trump
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has found himself in a unique position in Japan's staid political world. As he fights for his political survival, Ishiba — known for being a straight shooter — is calling things as he sees them. On Monday, he offered his views of U.S. President Donald Trump and the American leader's negotiating tactics — colorful comments that were unusual for their candor but not widely reported in Japan. '(Trump) is not a normal person. He's someone who changes the rules,' Ishiba said in response to demands in parliament by opposition parties that the government draft a formal document to put in writing the recent trade deal Japan sealed with the U.S. that lowers onerous tariffs. 'We are most concerned that creating such a document will delay the reduction of tariffs,' he added. Although Ishiba's comments did not appear to be a criticism, it is extremely unusual for a sitting prime minister to publicly speak about the leader of the United States, Japan's top ally, in a manner that could be construed as such. Japan is a top economic and security partner with the United States and hosts some 55,000 American troops that serve as a bulwark against rivals such as China. While Japanese leaders have at times been known to be critical of their U.S. counterparts, these views have almost universally been kept under wraps by officials working to keep relations on an even keel. It was not immediately clear what Trump had thought of the remarks, or if he even knew of them. In the past, however, the mercurial U.S. president has relished being labeled as America's 'dealmaker-in-chief.' As he fends off demands to resign, Ishiba may feel that he has little to lose in shooting from the hip, especially when it comes to Japan's trade interests. The prime minister has been targeted by some in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party for its thumping in the July 20 Upper House election. That loss saw the LDP and Komeito bloc lose their majority in the upper chamber following the October loss of its majority under Ishiba's leadership in a Lower House poll. Although calls for his head have grown steadily quieter in recent days, Ishiba has continued to justify the necessity for him to stay at the country's helm by claiming that he must shepherd the U.S. trade deal through to implementation. Trump, for his part, has largely moved on from Japan after his dramatic announcement of the trade deal to focus on other headline-grabbing issues such as the war in Ukraine. Still, Ishiba's remarks — as well as his administration's insistence that Trump quickly sign an executive order to bring an agreed-to 15% tariff rate on automobiles into effect — have the potential to become an irritant for the notoriously thin-skinned U.S. president. Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, was set to visit Washington from Tuesday to push for more details on the deal. A perhaps more likely scenario, however, is that Trump simply views Ishiba and his team as savvy and tough negotiators. Indeed, this is not the first time that the prime minister has had harsh words for the U.S. side. At an election rally on July 9, Ishiba delivered a fiery rebuke of Trump's trade demands, framing the tariff talks as 'a battle for national interests.' 'We will not be disrespected,' he said, in comments that raised eyebrows in Japan. 'We must say what we need to say, fairly and squarely, even to our ally.'
The Diplomat
3 hours ago
- The Diplomat
Malaysia Agreed to $150B in Purchases as Part of US Tariff Deal: Minister
Despite the White House's release of updated tariff figures last week, there is much still to be negotiated between Washington and its trade partners. Late last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced updated tariff rates for 67 nations, including nine from Southeast Asia, which are set to come into effect on August 7. However, given the unpredictability of the Trump administration and the speed of the negotiations that preceded last week's announcement, there is a lot that we don't know about these figures, and how they will affect each nation's trade with the U.S. For instance, while most Southeast Asian nations succeeded in negotiating a reduction in the tariff rate to around 19-20 percent, it still remains unclear specifically what each agreed to. It is also unclear what exemptions might apply to their major exports to the U.S. and whether other geopolitical conditions may have been slipped into the trade discussions. As James Guild wrote recently for The Diplomat regarding the deals with Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, which were announced prior to last week's announcement, 'many important details are missing. In fact, many of the countries on the other side of these deals quickly made it known they viewed things a bit differently than President Trump.' Yet, as the days go by, further details are emerging about what each nation put on the table during the rapid trade negotiations with the Trump team. Speaking to parliament yesterday, Malaysia's trade minister offered some details about how his nation managed to secure a reduction in its tariff, from 25 percent to 19 percent. In comments to parliament, Reuters reported that Tengku Zafrul Aziz said that Malaysian negotiators have agreed to spend up to $150 billion over the next five years to buy equipment from U.S. multinationals, in order to address the trade imbalance between the two countries. This includes agreements for state energy firm Petroliam Nasional Berhad to buy liquefied natural gas worth $3.4 billion a year. As Reuters reported, Malaysia 'will also commit to $70 billion in cross-border investments in the United States over the next five years.' He confirmed that Malaysia had also agreed to remove its tariffs on more than 98 percent of U.S. goods. Last year, Malaysia had a trade surplus of around $24.9 billion with the U.S., according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Tengku Zafrul said that the two countries were finalizing a joint statement covering the commitments that had been made, which also included tariff exemptions that Malaysia managed to secure on its pharmaceutical products and semiconductor exports to the U.S. In his address to parliament, the minister warned that semiconductor chips may still be subject to additional tariffs under U.S. tariffs on the grounds of national security. 'Therefore, we need to continue to be prepared for any possible additional tariffs imposed on the semiconductor industry,' he said. He added that the country was seeking similar exemptions for important raw materials, including cocoa, rubber, and palm oil, but that these had not yet been finalized. While Tengku Zafrul's comments bring some clarity to Malaysia's situation, it also highlights the challenge of negotiating trade agreements, which often take years of negotiations, on such a short time scale. Another area of considerable uncertainty that has been kicked down the road involves transshipped goods. Trump's tariff announcement included a blanket 40 percent tariff on any goods deemed to have originated in China. Like much else, it is still unclear how (and by whom) the provenance of goods will be established and verified. Lurking behind the uncertainty about the specifics of the deal, there is the larger uncertainty about whether the tariffs will even be in place in a month, a year, or a decade's time. One writer in Free Malaysia Today argued today that Malaysian policymakers should not panic, assuming that the tariffs are 'an assertive, yet unstable, use of executive power' that might not last. 'The current tariff wave is not a permanent reordering of trade architecture,' the op-ed argued, 'it is a phase of legal and political experimentation.' As such, the article argued that Malaysia should avoid making knee-jerk concessions to Trump. However long the tariffs are in effect, the short-term 'wins' that Trump has secured through the brute leveraging of U.S. economic power will likely be outweighed by the long-term drain of U.S. influence, as Southeast Asian governments seek out more predictable and 'like-minded' trade partners.
