#sanctions

#sanctions

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are maneuvering for leverage ahead of their upcoming meeting and the expiration of a U.S.-China trade truce, even at the risk of escalating tensions between the world's two biggest economies. China this week unveiled sweeping new curbs on its exports of rare earths and other critical materials, echoing moves made in April in response to Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs. That came as Beijing continues to eschew purchases of American soybeans.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has alleged that drones and missiles fired by Russia against his country are filled with parts sourced from Western companies. In a social media post on Monday, Zelenskyy said the hundreds of weapons used in Russian attacks over the previous two nights contained tens of thousands of components produced by firms in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Taiwan and China.

Donald Trump hints at lifting sanctions on Ankara buying F-35 jets during meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. For the first time in six years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has returned to the White House for a high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump aimed at resetting strained ties. The two leaders had much to discuss, from deals on Ankara buying fighter jets to deep divides over Gaza and Russia.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's president, has launched an impassioned defence of his country's democracy, claiming the recent conviction of his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, had shown the world how would-be autocrats could be brought to heel. Speaking at the opening of the United Nations general assembly in New York, Lula hailed Brazil's successful effort to repel an unprecedented attack from Bolsonaro's extreme right movement.

The EU executive has called for a suspension of free trade with Israel and sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Ursula von der Leyen had already floated the proposal to suspend the trade parts of the EU-Israel association agreement last week as the European Commission faced intense pressure for greater action amid criticism that it was not using its economic leverage to influence the Israeli government.

Experts believe that any effective strategy to address the incursions must be focused on deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin. And despite earlier promises to impose stricter sanctions on Russia if President Putin does not end the war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump now says that the U.S. will only carry through with those sanctions if NATO member states do the same and end all purchases of Russian oil.

The commission is the EU's executive arm. It proposes laws that impact the lives of around 450 million people across 27 countries, and monitors whether those rules are respected. In recent years, it has helped Europe to survive fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, break its dependency on Russian energy supplies and cope with a trade war launched by a traditional ally like the U.S.

Ukrainian forces launched drone and missile attacks on two cities in occupied parts of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region as US and European officials met in Washington to discuss more economic sanctions on Russia to force it to negotiate an end to the war. The attacks killed two people and injured 16, according to Denis Pushilin, the Russia-installed head of the Donetsk region.