Trump says he’s in ‘no rush’ to end tariffs as he holds talks with Italy’s Meloni

US President Donald Trump greets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the West Wing entrance to the White House in Washington, on Apr. 17, 2025. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump greets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the West Wing entrance to the White House in Washington, on Apr. 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 17 April 2025
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Trump says he’s in ‘no rush’ to end tariffs as he holds talks with Italy’s Meloni

Trump says he’s in ‘no rush’ to end tariffs as he holds talks with Italy’s Meloni
  • Trump administration has indicated that offers are coming from other countries and it is possible to do 90 deals during the 90-day tariff pause
  • “We know we are in a difficult moment," Meloni said this week in Rome

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is in “no rush” to reach any trade deals because of the revenues his tariffs are generating, but suggested while meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni that it would be easy to find an agreement with the European Union.
His administration has indicated that offers are coming from other countries and it is possible to do 90 deals during the 90-day tariff pause, but the president played down the likelihood of an accelerated timeline, saying any agreements would come “at a certain point.”
“We’re in no rush,” Trump said.
Meloni’s meeting with Trump will test her mettle as a bridge between the European Union and the United States. She is the first European leader to have face-to-face talks with him since he announced and then partially suspended 20 percent tariffs on European exports.
Meloni secured the meeting as Italy’s leader, but she also has, in a sense, been “knighted” to represent the EU at a critical juncture in the trade war. She was in close contact with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before the trip, and “the outreach is … closely coordinated,” a commission spokeswoman said.
“We know we are in a difficult moment,” Meloni said this week in Rome. “Most certainly, I am well aware of what I represent, and what I am defending.”
The EU is defending what it calls “the most important commercial relationship in the world,’’ with annual trade reaching 1.6 trillion euros ($1.8 trillion).
Trade negotiations fall under the authority of the commission, which is pushing for a zero-for-zero tariff deal with Washington. Trump administration officials, in talks with the EU, have yet to publicly show signs of relenting on the president’s insistence that a baseline 10 percent tariff be charged on all foreign imports. Trump paused for 90 days his initial 20 percent tax on EU products so that negotiations could occur.
The EU has already engaged with Trump administration officials in Washington. Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner for trade and economic security, said he met on Monday with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Šefčovič said afterward on X that it would “require a significant joint effort on both sides” to get to zero tariffs and work on non-tariff trade barriers.
Meloni’s margins for progress are more in gaining clarity on the Republican president’s goals rather than outright concessions, experts say.
“It is a very delicate mission,” said Fabian Zuleeg, chief economist at the European Policy Center think tank in Brussels. “There is the whole trade agenda, and while she’s not officially negotiating, we know that Trump likes to have this kind of informal exchange, which in a sense is a negotiation. So it’s a lot on her plate.”
As the leader of a far-right party, Meloni is ideologically aligned with Trump on issues including curbing migration, promoting traditional values and skepticism toward multilateral institutions. But stark differences have emerged in Meloni’s unwavering support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the war and Italy’s role in an eventual postwar reconstruction of Ukraine. Trump is expected to press Meloni to increase Italy’s defense spending, which last year fell well below the 2 percent of gross domestic product target for countries in the NATO military alliance. Italy’s spending, at 1.49 percent of GDP, is among the lowest in Europe.
Despite the differences on Ukraine and defense spending, Meloni is seen by some in the US administration as a vital bridge to Europe at a difficult moment for trans-Atlantic relations.
Trump is looking not only to discuss with Meloni how “Italy’s marketplace can be opened up, but also how they can help us with the rest of Europe,” according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters before the visit. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
After being the only European leader to attend Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, Meloni has responded with studied restraint as abrupt shifts in US policy under Trump have frayed the US-European alliance. She has denounced the tariffs as “wrong” and warned that “dividing the West would be disastrous for everyone,” after Trump’s heated White House exchange with Ukraine’s president.
“She has been very cautious,’’ said Wolfango Piccoli, an analyst at the London-based Teneo consultancy. “It is what we need when we have a counterpart that is changing every day.’’
Italy maintains a 40 billion euro ($45 billion) trade surplus with the US, its largest with any country, fueled by Americans’ appetite for Italian sparkling wine, foodstuffs like Parmigiano Reggiano hard cheese and Parma ham, and Italian luxury fashion. These are all sectors critical to the Italian economy, and mostly supported by small- and medium-sized producers who are core center-right voters.
“All in all, I think she will focus on the very strong economic and trade relations that Italy has with the United States, not just in terms of exports, but also services and energy,” said Antonio Villafranca, vice president of the ISPI think tank in Milan. “For example, Italy could even consider importing more gas from the US”
The meeting comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over global uncertainty generated by the escalating tariff wars. Italy’s growth forecast for this year has already been slashed from 1 percent to 0.5 percent as a result.


Russia hosts world leaders for the 80th anniversary of its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II

Russia hosts world leaders for the 80th anniversary of its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II
Updated 11 sec ago
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Russia hosts world leaders for the 80th anniversary of its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II

Russia hosts world leaders for the 80th anniversary of its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II
  • Putin described Chinese President Xi Jinping as ‘our main guest’ at the Victory Day festivities when he discussed preparations for his visit with China’s FM
  • US President George W. Bush attended the 2005 Victory Day parade along with the leaders of France, Germany and other heads of states
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is set to host the leaders of China, Brazil and other heads of states for festivities on Friday marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Victory Day, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9, has become the country’s most important secular holiday. A massive parade through Red Square and other ceremonies underline Moscow’s efforts to project its power and cement the alliances it has forged while seeking a counterbalance to the West amid the 3-year-old war in Ukraine.
“For Putin, this day is important as a demonstration how broad a coalition backing Russia is,” said political analyst Nikolai Petrov.
The lineup of leaders coming to Moscow this year contrasts sharply to some past celebrations that drew top Western leaders at a time of friendlier ties between Russia and the West.
The festivities have been overshadowed by reports of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and severe disruptions at all four of the capital’s airports, with dozens of flights delayed or canceled, stranding hundreds of passengers.
Tightened security around the celebrations also led to restrictions on cellphone Internet service and reports of outages. Banks and taxi firms have preemptively warned customers about disruption to services over the holidays due to unstable Internet access, and some shops and supermarkets have restricted deliveries due to potential network problems.
The guest list reflects Moscow’s priorities
Putin described Chinese President Xi Jinping as “our main guest” at the Victory Day festivities when he discussed preparations for his visit with China’s foreign minister. The Russian leader noted that he and Xi are to discuss both bilateral and global issues at their summit in Moscow.
Xi arrived Wednesday for a four-day visit. Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov has said they would discuss trade and Russia’s supply of oil and gas to China, as well as cooperation within BRICS — the bloc of developing economies that initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa but has since expanded to more countries.
Putin and Xi have met over 40 times and developed strong personal ties to bolster their “strategic partnership” as they both face soaring tensions with the West.
China has offered robust diplomatic support to Moscow after the 2022 invasion and has emerged as a top market for Russian oil and gas, helping fill the Kremlin’s war coffers. Russia also has relied on China as the main source of machinery and electronics to keep its military machine running after Western sanctions curtailed high-tech supplies.
While Beijing hasn’t provided weapons to use in Ukraine, it has backed the Kremlin diplomatically, blaming the West for threatening Russia’s security. China also condemned Western sanctions against Moscow.
Russia, in turn, has consistently voiced support for Beijing on issues related to Taiwan.
Last month, Ukraine reported capturing two Chinese soldiers who were fighting for Russia and claimed there were over 150 others deployed alongside Moscow’s forces. Beijing disavowed official involvement, saying it told its citizens not to enter foreign conflicts. Reports suggested the men were mercenaries answering advertisements.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Mod i, another top ally whom Putin has courted, had been expected in Moscow but he canceled his trip amid tensions with Pakistan after an attack in which gunmen opened fire on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
India, which has had persistent tensions with China, watched the growing Russia-China relationship with unease but sought to maintain close ties with Moscow. Russia is a major defense supplier for India, and New Delhi’s importance as a key trading partner for Moscow has grown since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine. Just like China, India has become a key buyer of Russian oil.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also arrived Wednesday, his first official trip to Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine. He twice visited Russia during his previous tenure as president in 2003-10.
Other signs of global support for the Kremlin
Other guests include Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has openly challenged the European Union’s policies over Ukraine. Fico has shrugged off warnings from the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, against visiting Moscow, defiantly saying, “nobody can order me where to go or not to go.”
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic made his first trip to Russia since the invasion, despite EU pressure that visiting Moscow could derail Serbia’s ambitions to join the bloc. He arrived in Moscow on Wednesday after falling ill last week on a trip to the US, which raised questions about his attendance. The Kremlin said Putin will have bilateral meetings with him and Fico on Friday.
Petrov said attendance by European countries despite EU pressure demonstrates “that the Kremlin isn’t just in any sort of isolation but has quite powerful support not only in the Global South but also in the West.”
Putin met Wednesday with the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela, who also came to Moscow. He and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signed an agreement on strategic partnership and cooperation.
The leaders of Vietnam and Burkina-Faso, plus presidents of several former Soviet nations, also were expected.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the guest list reflects the importance of the holiday and “shows that Russia not only has allies, but a large number of countries that feel close to the spirit of our ideology and world vision.”
Ushakov said Tuesday that leaders of more than two dozen countries are expected, and Putin will hold more than 15 bilateral meetings. The Kremlin also invited US Ambassador Lynne Tracy, although “whether she will be present at the parade, we will see on May 9,” Ushakov said. The State Department didn’t confirm whether any US officials would attend.
Ushakov said Wednesday the presidents of Laos and Azerbaijan weren’t coming after all. Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith fell ill with COVID-19, Ushakov told Russia’s Life news outlet, and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who the Kremlin said in March had accepted an invitation, had to attend events at home.
Relations between Moscow and Baku cooled after an Azerbaijani airliner crashed in Kazakhstan in December, killing 38 of 67 people aboard. Aliyev said it was shot down over Russia, albeit unintentionally, and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare. He accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the incident for several days. Putin apologized to Aliyev for what he called a “tragic incident” but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility.
Aliyev hasn’t attended the Moscow parade since 2015, the Russian daily Vedomosti reported.
Past celebrations featured top Western leaders
When Russia’s ties with the West blossomed after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, many Western leaders attended Victory Day celebrations. In 1995, US President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister John Major and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien were among the guests.
US President George W. Bush attended the 2005 Victory Day parade along with the leaders of France, Germany and other heads of states, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on Red Square for the 2010 parade.
Ties with the West were badly strained after Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow backed a separatist insurgency. Western leaders stopped coming to the event.
US President Donald Trump, who this year upended Washington’s policy of isolating Russia over the war, hasn’t ruled out visiting Moscow someday, but will not be attending on Friday.

Russian air defenses down 12 more Ukrainian drones en route to Moscow, mayor says

Russian air defenses down 12 more Ukrainian drones en route to Moscow, mayor says
Updated 54 sec ago
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Russian air defenses down 12 more Ukrainian drones en route to Moscow, mayor says

Russian air defenses down 12 more Ukrainian drones en route to Moscow, mayor says
  • Sobyanin noted that 12 drones headed for the capital had been repelled or destroyed
  • Several drones had been destroyed over Kaluga region

MOSCOW: Russian air defense forces downed 12 Ukrainian drones flying toward Moscow, the city’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Wednesday.
Sobyanin, in a series of posts over four hours on the Telegram messaging app, noted that 12 drones headed for the capital had been repelled or destroyed.
Earlier on Wednesday the Telegram channel Shot, which has sources in Russia’s law enforcement agencies, reported that one drone had been downed in the Moscow region, while several others had been destroyed over the neighboring Kaluga region.
Russia’s aviation watchdog said that the Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region outside the capital and the main airport in the city of Kaluga south of Moscow had been temporarily closed.
Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, subject to periodic closures throughout the day, was operating in the early evening.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had downed 524 drones over the past 24 hours. The ministry did not specify the locations where the drones were destroyed.
The Russian capital is preparing to host more than 20 world leaders at a Red Square military parade on Friday to mark the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany.
Some of the leaders, like China’s Xi Jinping, flew into Russia on Wednesday.


Pakistani PM condemns India’s ‘cowardly act of war’

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the special session at the National Assembly in Islamabad. (AFP)
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the special session at the National Assembly in Islamabad. (AFP)
Updated 07 May 2025
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Pakistani PM condemns India’s ‘cowardly act of war’

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the special session at the National Assembly in Islamabad. (AFP)
  • Shehbaz Sharif convenes meeting of National Security Committee after Indian strikes kill 26
  • Indian authorities accused of ‘once again igniting an inferno in the region’

NEW YORK CITY: Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has condemned India for an “unprovoked, cowardly and unlawful act of war,” following overnight strikes that targeted locations across his country.

He convened the National Security Committee, Pakistan’s top security body, on Wednesday in the wake of the Indian strikes, which were part of a military action codenamed Operation Sindoor.

India launched a series of “coordinated missile, air and drone strikes on multiple locations within Pakistan’s sovereign territory,” the prime minister’s office said after the security meeting. The death toll from the strikes stood at 26, with 46 people injured.

Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian jets in retaliation, as Sharif on Wednesday authorized his nation’s military to take “corresponding actions” in response to the strikes.

The dramatic escalation follows weeks of mounting tensions between India and Pakistan following a terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. The two nuclear-armed powers each administer parts of Kashmir but claim the region in full.

The statement by the prime minister’s office condemned the overnight strikes as “unprovoked and unjustified attacks” that “deliberately targeted civilian areas.”

India attacked Pakistan “on the false pretext of presence of imaginary terrorist camps, resulting in the martyrdom of innocent men, women and children, and causing damage to the civilian infrastructure, including mosques,” it added.

Pakistan accused India of “causing grave danger” to commercial airliners as a result of the attacks, “endangering the lives of thousands of onboard passengers.” The country also accused India of “deliberately targeting” the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, “in violation of international conventions.”

The statement repeated the government’s rejection of Indian allegations regarding the presence of terrorist camps on Pakistani territory.

In the aftermath of the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, “Pakistan made a sincere offer for a credible, transparent and neutral investigation, which unfortunately was not accepted,” it added.

“The Indian leadership, bereft of any morality, has now gone to the extent of attacking innocent civilians in order to satiate its delusional thoughts and short-sighted political objectives.”

Pakistan’s National Security Committee condemned the Indian strikes as “blatant violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which manifestly constituted acts of war under international law.”

The country accused its rival of acting “against all sanity and rationality” and “once again igniting an inferno in the region.” Responsibility for the soaring tensions and outbreak of violence “lies squarely with India,” it added.

Citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, which addresses the right to individual or collective self-defense, Pakistan said it reserves the right to respond to the Indian attacks “at a time, place and manner of its choosing.”

It added: “Deeply anguished by India’s naked aggression, the entire Pakistani nation greatly appreciates and admires the bravery and courage of the armed forces and their timely action in the defense of their motherland.

“The nation stands galvanized and resolute in the face of any further aggression.”

The Pakistani statement urged the international community to recognize India’s “unprovoked illegal actions” and hold the country accountable.

“Pakistan remains committed to peace, with dignity and honor, and reiterates that it shall never allow any violation of its sovereignty, territorial integrity or permit any harm to its proud people,” it added.


Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia

Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
Updated 07 May 2025
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Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia

Six Bulgarians face long UK jail terms for spying for Russia
  • The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro
  • The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance

LONDON: Six Bulgarians, members of a sophisticated spy network dubbed “The Minions,” were before court Wednesday for sentencing, facing up to 14 years in prison for spying for Russia.
The four men and two women either pled guilty or had been convicted of charges of conspiracy to spy at Russia’s behest with their sentences due to be handed down on Monday, after four days of hearings at London’s Old Bailey court.
Between 2020 to 2023, the six-person cell targeted journalists and a Kazakh former politician, and plotted to kidnap and honeytrap targets, tracking them across several European nations.
It was “industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia,” Metropolitan police counter-terrorism Chief Commander Dominic Murphy said in March.
Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, along with his second-in-command Bizer Dzhambazov, 43, and Ivan Stoyanov, 32, pled guilty to spying.
Barrister for the prosecution, Alison Morgan, on Wednesday laid out their roles in different operations, stressing they knew they were spying for Moscow.
London-based Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were convicted in March after a trial lasting more than three months at the Old Bailey court.
Two of the group were in court on Wednesday, with the rest appearing by video link from their detention centers.
They had dubbed themselves “The Minions” after the cartoon yellow characters in the film “Despicable Me” who work for the dastardly Gru. The six also worked for the GRU, the acronym for the Russian military intelligence service.
The group launched operations in the UK as well as Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro.
But UK police were able to retrace six operations thanks to more than 100,000 messages found on Roussev’s Telegram account, which led police to his seaside home in the eastern town of Great Yarmouth.
Roussev received his instructions from Jan Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who reportedly fled to Russia in 2020 after becoming wanted for fraud in Germany.
Marsalek, the former chief operating officer of payments firm Wirecard, was acting as a proxy for Russian intelligence services.
One operation targeted investigative journalist Christo Grozev, from the Bellingcat website, who uncovered Russian links to the 2018 Novichok chemical weapon attack in the English town of Salisbury and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane four years earlier.
The group had planned “disruptive activity” at the Kazakh embassy in 2022, discussing a plan to spray the building with fake pig’s blood.
Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($227,000) to fund his activities.
After the gang was busted in February 2023, police found huge amounts of spyware equipment in his home, including cameras and microphones hidden in ties, a stone, even a cuddly toy and a fizzy drinks bottle.
In messages to Marsalek, Roussev claimed “he will find the resources” to “keep the Russians happy” such as by kidnapping someone, Morgan said.
“The defendants were deployed to gather information about prominent individuals whose activities were of obvious interest to the Russian state,” she added.
Murphy said in March that police had found “really sophisticated devices — the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel.”
Journalist and UK-based dissident Roman Dobrokhotov, and former Kazakh politician Bergey Ryskaliev, granted refugee status in Britain, were also among their targets.
The group also kept the US military base Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, under surveillance, believing Ukrainian soldiers were being trained there in using the Patriot air defense system.
Ties between Britain and Russia have been strained since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
British security minister Dan Jarvis warned the convictions should “send a clear warning to those who wish to do the UK harm.”


Denmark says to summon US ambassador over potential Greenland spying

Denmark says to summon US ambassador over potential Greenland spying
Updated 07 May 2025
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Denmark says to summon US ambassador over potential Greenland spying

Denmark says to summon US ambassador over potential Greenland spying
  • The article “raised a lot of concern, because friends don’t spy on each other,” Rasmussen said
  • Trump has insisted he wants to seize the autonomous Danish territory

COPENHAGEN: Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Wednesday he would summon the US ambassador to Denmark after The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington would intensify spying on Greenland, the territory coveted by President Donald Trump.
The article “raised a lot of concern, because friends don’t spy on each other,” Rasmussen said in Warsaw. “This is very serious, so we will summon the ambassador for a meeting at the foreign ministry.”
The Journal report cited two people as saying the United States was stepping up its intelligence gathering on Greenland.
Trump has insisted he wants to seize the autonomous Danish territory, saying Washington needs control of the mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons.
Rasmussen said he hoped, “obviously, that this can be refuted” during the meeting with the US envoy, and “in any case the aim is to make clear Denmark’s position on this issue.”