Donald Trump has declared Russia an ‘extraordinary threat’ to the US, as Vladimir Putin refuses to heed to his deadline to end his invasion of Ukraine … in a sign that their relationship is crumbling so fast.
Earlier, Trump in a new ultimatum gave the Russian leader until Friday to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine, with threats to place enormous tariffs on Russia’s main trading partners.
The US president signed an executive order that brought India’s tariff rate to 50% after it bought Russian oil, just hours after Trump’s top envoy Steve Witkoff met with Kremlin officials.
Donald Trump Russia news
Trump wrote in the executive order following Witkoff’s meeting with Putin: ‘I have received additional information from various senior officials on, among other things, the actions of the government of the Russian Federation with respect to the situation in Ukraine.’
The Republican president said the new information showed Moscow presented ‘an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.’
He added: ‘I determine that it is necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem duty on imports of articles of India, which is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil.’
India news
India is one of the top buyers of Russian crude oil, a key export that fuels Putin’s war machine in Ukraine.
The US said it is hoping to deter the nation, and others, from doing business with Russia as a consequence for ‘its ongoing aggressions.’
Following Trump’s executive order, India now has one of the highest tariff rates on goods exported to the US.
However, India was furious with Trump’s latest tariff measure, with its foreign ministry describing the measure as ‘unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.’
