Latest news with #MatthewWhitaker
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Trump's Nato envoy warns China over ‘subsidising' Russia's war
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Nato ambassador Matthew Whitaker said the secondary sanctions are going to be significant. WASHINGTON – The US ambassador to Nato said China needed to be 'called out for their subsidising' of Russia's war in Ukraine as the Trump administration ratchets up its threat to impose tariffs if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal. 'China thinks they're fighting a proxy war through Russia, and we're seeing in some statements by the Chinese government that they want to keep the United States and our allies occupied with this war, so that we can't focus on our other strategic challenges,' Nato ambassador Matthew Whitaker said on July 22 on Fox Business. 'China, I think, has miscalculated,' he added. 'I think they need to be called out for their subsidising this killing that is happening on the battlefields in Ukraine.' Mr Whitaker's comments come a week after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tough economic penalties on Russia if it does not end its war on Ukraine within 50 days. Mr Trump has said he would impose 100 per cent tariffs, which officials have cast as secondary levies that would fall on countries who buy Russian exports such as oil. China's imports of Russian oil have climbed since Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Washington and other capitals allied with Kyiv view such oil purchases as a form of tacit support for Russia, helping to bolster its economy and undercut sanctions. Russia's crude exports hit a one-month high ahead of Mr Trump's tariff threat on buyers of Russian oil. 'The secondary sanctions are going to be significant. They're going to hit countries that are buying Russian oil, whether that's China, India or Brazil,' Mr Whitaker said. Mr Trump has raised the prospect of tightening economic pressure on Russia before without following through, and trade analysts have said secondary tariffs would be difficult to implement. The threat also comes at a crucial time in US-Chinese relations with a tentative trade truce between the world's two largest economies set to end in August. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business on July 22 that he would meet Chinese counterparts for talks next week in Stockholm. BLOOMBERG
Bloomberg
13 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump NATO Envoy Warns China Over ‘Subsidizing' Russia's War
The US ambassador to NATO said China needed to be 'called out for their subsidizing' of Russia's war in Ukraine as the Trump administration ratchets up its threat to impose tariffs if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal. 'China thinks they're fighting a proxy war through Russia, and we're seeing in some statements by the Chinese government that they want to keep the United States and our allies occupied with this war, so that we can't focus on our other strategic challenges,' NATO ambassador Matthew Whitaker said Tuesday on Fox Business.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: US moving ‘with haste' to enable weapons shipments to Kyiv, says Washington
The US is moving to get weapons to Ukraine quickly under President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy arms and is weighing selling Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks, Washington's envoy to Nato has said. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and, you know, I think things are actually moving very quickly,' the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, told journalists on Thursday. 'But I can't verify a date that this will all be completed.' Trump on Monday announced a deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte for European states in the alliance to buy US weaponry – particularly advanced Patriot systems – and give it to Kyiv, but questions have been raised over where the systems will come from and how soon they can get to Ukraine amid Russian bombardments. Nato's supreme commander in Europe said separately that preparations were under way to ship the first Patriot systems to Ukraine under the scheme. US general Alexus Grynkewich said there was an 'ongoing conversation' about whether the US would sell Patriots already available in its own military stockpiles. The Swiss government, meanwhile, said delivery of US Patriot systems to Switzerland would be delayed as Washington reprioritised to provide more support to Ukraine. The moves came as Trump's effort to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine at Europe's expense created mild friction in EU-US relations, with the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, saying: 'If we pay for these weapons, it's our support.' Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said, vowing it would not accept the 'blackmail' of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum. Trump on Monday set a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions, while also promising more weaponry for Kyiv. Russia's foreign ministry condemned the move, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying: 'It is obvious that the Kyiv regime consistently perceives such decisions by the collective west as a signal to continue the slaughter and abandon the peace process.' Russian troops have taken control of three villages in three different parts of the frontline running through Ukraine, the defence ministry claimed on Thursday. Official Ukrainian reports of activity along the 1,000km (600-mile) front disputed part of the Russian account, particularly concerning a key village in the south-east. The Russian defence ministry report named the three captured settlements as Kamianske in the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, Dehtiarne in north-eastern Kharkiv region and Popiv Yar in Donetsk region. The battlefield reports from either side could not be independently verified. Ukrainian military spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn told the media outlet that holding Kamianske, south-east of the region's main town of Zaporizhzhia, was important to keep that city safe from attack. Russian lawmakers have advanced a bill that would outlaw opening or searching for content online judged 'extremist', such as songs glorifying Ukraine and material by feminist rock band Pussy Riot. Critics say the law, which has drawn a rare backlash from across Russia's political spectrum, would stifle internet freedom. The legislation threatens fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material listed as extremist by the justice ministry. More than 5,000 entries are on the list, including webpages, political slogans, books, artworks and music albums. Slovakia will stop blocking the approval of the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia on Friday, the prime minister said. Robert Fico said on Thursday that Slovakia had achieved as much as it could at this point, after blocking the EU's approval of the sanctions multiple times to demand guarantees against damages it fears from a separate EU plan to end all gas imports from Russia from 2028. EU countries' ambassadors would meet on Friday morning to approve the new sanctions. The European Commission last month proposed the 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenue, banks and military industry.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: US moving ‘with haste' to enable weapons shipments to Kyiv, says Washington
The US is moving to get weapons to Ukraine quickly under President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy arms and is weighing selling Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks, Washington's envoy to Nato has said. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and, you know, I think things are actually moving very quickly,' the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, told journalists on Thursday. 'But I can't verify a date that this will all be completed.' Trump on Monday announced a deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte for European states in the alliance to buy US weaponry – particularly advanced Patriot systems – and give it to Kyiv, but questions have been raised over where the systems will come from and how soon they can get to Ukraine amid Russian bombardments. Nato's supreme commander in Europe said separately that preparations were under way to ship the first Patriot systems to Ukraine under the scheme. US general Alexus Grynkewich said there was an 'ongoing conversation' about whether the US would sell Patriots already available in its own military stockpiles. The Swiss government, meanwhile, said delivery of US Patriot systems to Switzerland would be delayed as Washington reprioritised to provide more support to Ukraine. The moves came as Trump's effort to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine at Europe's expense created mild friction in EU-US relations, with the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, saying: 'If we pay for these weapons, it's our support.' Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said, vowing it would not accept the 'blackmail' of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum. Trump on Monday set a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions, while also promising more weaponry for Kyiv. Russia's foreign ministry condemned the move, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying: 'It is obvious that the Kyiv regime consistently perceives such decisions by the collective west as a signal to continue the slaughter and abandon the peace process.' Russian troops have taken control of three villages in three different parts of the frontline running through Ukraine, the defence ministry claimed on Thursday. Official Ukrainian reports of activity along the 1,000km (600-mile) front disputed part of the Russian account, particularly concerning a key village in the south-east. The Russian defence ministry report named the three captured settlements as Kamianske in the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, Dehtiarne in north-eastern Kharkiv region and Popiv Yar in Donetsk region. The battlefield reports from either side could not be independently verified. Ukrainian military spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn told the media outlet that holding Kamianske, south-east of the region's main town of Zaporizhzhia, was important to keep that city safe from attack. Russian lawmakers have advanced a bill that would outlaw opening or searching for content online judged 'extremist', such as songs glorifying Ukraine and material by feminist rock band Pussy Riot. Critics say the law, which has drawn a rare backlash from across Russia's political spectrum, would stifle internet freedom. The legislation threatens fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material listed as extremist by the justice ministry. More than 5,000 entries are on the list, including webpages, political slogans, books, artworks and music albums. Slovakia will stop blocking the approval of the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia on Friday, the prime minister said. Robert Fico said on Thursday that Slovakia had achieved as much as it could at this point, after blocking the EU's approval of the sanctions multiple times to demand guarantees against damages it fears from a separate EU plan to end all gas imports from Russia from 2028. EU countries' ambassadors would meet on Friday morning to approve the new sanctions. The European Commission last month proposed the 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenue, banks and military industry.
CNA
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
US accelerates delivery of Patriot weapons to Ukraine under NATO deal, envoy says
BRUSSELS: The United States is moving quickly to deliver weapons to Ukraine under President Donald Trump's new plan for European NATO members to buy and supply arms, and is considering drawing Patriot air defence systems from its own stockpiles, Washington's envoy to NATO said on Thursday (July 17). Trump announced on Monday a deal with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that would see European allies purchase US-made weapons, particularly advanced Patriot missile systems, and send them to Kyiv. The announcement signals a shift for Trump, whose frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin has grown after repeated failures to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine. "We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and I think things are actually moving very quickly," US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told journalists. "But I cannot verify a date that this will all be completed." EUROPEAN COUNTRIES STEP UP Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden have all expressed readiness to procure and transfer the weaponry to Ukraine. However, questions remain over where the Patriot systems will come from and how soon they can be delivered, especially as Ukraine endures intensifying Russian missile strikes. NATO's supreme commander in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said preparations were already under way to deliver the first Patriot systems under the new arrangement. "We're already in the preparation phase for the first tranche of capability to start moving with respect to Patriots," Grynkewich said at a defence conference in Germany. Whitaker confirmed that discussions were ongoing about whether the United States might supply Patriots from its own military stock. "We are never going to put the United States at a strategic disadvantage, and we are going to make sure that we have everything we need," he said. "At the same time, I think we all acknowledge the desperate requirements that Ukraine currently, immediately needs on the battlefield and to protect their cities." SECURITY BALANCE CONCERNS One proposed solution would see European countries send existing systems to Ukraine now, and purchase replacements from US manufacturers on a priority basis. The weapons deal comes as Washington reviews its global force posture, sparking concern among NATO allies over the future of the US commitment to European defence. The Biden administration has previously warned that forces and military assets could be shifted away from Europe to counter strategic threats posed by China in the Indo-Pacific. Whitaker said the United States was in "daily conversations" with allies to coordinate plans and avoid surprises. "We have agreed to no surprises and no gaps in the strategic framework of Europe," he said.
