The American intel chief has removed 37 security clearances from current and former officials over the ‘Russiagate’ hoax

Russia did not favor Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 US presidential election and the administration of then-President Barack Obama was well aware of that, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has said.

Since mid-July, Gabbard has released multiple documents which allegedly expose a coordinated effort by senior Obama-era officials to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia and delegitimize his first election win.

During an appearance on the Hannity program on Fox News on Tuesday, Gabbard insisted that “the intelligence community assessed in the months leading up to that 2016 election that, yes, Russia was trying to interfere in our election by sowing discord and chaos, but stating over and over again that Russia did not appear to have any preference for one candidate over the other.”

At the time, Moscow viewed both Trump and Clinton “as equally bad for Russia’s interest,” she said.

“The big shift – that happened around what is now commonly known as ‘Russiagate’ – was after the election,” Gabbard claimed.

In early December 2016, Obama called a meeting of his national security council leadership, telling then-DNI James Clapper and then-CIA Director John Brennan to come up with a new “politicized and weaponized fake intelligence” assessment, claiming that “Russia, [President Vladimir] Putin did try to interfere in the election because he wanted Trump to win,” she alleged.

Russiagate was the “real crime” by Obama officials against the American people because it undermined their votes, Gabbard stressed.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gabbard announced that her office had stripped security clearances from 37 current and former US intelligence officials, including Clapper, for allegedly politicizing and manipulating intelligence.

Trump said earlier that all those behind the Russiagate hoax should pay a “big price” for what he labeled a deliberate attempt to sabotage his presidency.

Moscow has consistently denied any interference in the 2016 election, with Russian officials calling the US accusations a product of partisan infighting. The Russiagate scandal severely strained US-Russia relations, resulting in sanctions, asset seizures, and a breakdown in diplomatic engagement.

The billionaire warned followers on X not to trust the mainstream media outlet

Elon Musk has dismissed a Wall Street Journal report claiming that he is quietly backing away from plans to launch his America Party. The newspaper said Musk had told allies he will focus on his businesses and not risk splitting Republican voters with a third-party bid.

Musk supported US President Donald Trump in the 2024 election and temporarily served as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before a public falling-out over the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill” spending package. 

After resigning, he announced he would start his own political faction to challenge the two-party system and field candidates in the 2026 midterms.

On Tuesday, however, the WSJ reported that Musk had allegedly told allies he would instead concentrate on his companies and avoid alienating Republicans by siphoning away GOP votes. 

Commenting on the report, Musk wrote on X that “nothing WSJ says should ever be thought of as true.” He did not address the outlet’s claims.

The WSJ also stated that the billionaire has been maintaining ties with Vice President J.D. Vance, viewed as a potential heir to Trump, and has considered using his resources to back Vance’s 2028 presidential bid. It noted that Musk has not formally ruled out forming a party and could change his mind as the midterm elections near.

Musk had previously also accused the paper of publishing “deliberately false” stories, calling it a “discredit to journalism” and “the worst newspaper in the world.” 

“I wouldn’t use that to line my cage for parrot droppings,” the billionaire said of the WSJ earlier this year.

Last month, Musk outlined a plan for the America Party to concentrate on Congress ahead of the 2026 midterms, writing that while “backing a candidate for president is not out of the question,” the party’s “focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate.”

Trump, meanwhile, has called Musk a “train wreck” and argued that third parties “have never succeeded in the US,” predicting that the billionaire’s initiative would only create “disruption and chaos.”

MTN has said it is cooperating with Washington in a case related to its operations in Afghanistan and Iran

South African telecommunications giant MTN has said it is being investigated by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) through a grand jury inquiry related to its former subsidiary in Afghanistan and Iran.

The company revealed this information in its 2025 interim financial results on Monday, saying it had been approached, through its external US counsel, regarding the DoJ investigation into MTN Group.

”MTN has been approached, through its external US counsel, regarding a DoJ grand jury investigation relating to MTN Group, its former subsidiary in Afghanistan and Iran,” MTN said.

The company added that it is fully cooperating with the DoJ and voluntarily responding to requests for information. ”MTN is cooperating with the DoJ and voluntarily responding to requests for information. The Company will update the market as appropriate on any material developments in the matter,” the company said.

Grand juries determine if there is enough evidence to file formal charges, but do not decide guilt. Depending on the findings, MTN could potentially face a criminal trial in the US. According to reports, the US Department of Justice is investigating MTN’s former operations in Afghanistan and its stake in Iranian mobile operator Irancell.

The probe reportedly includes allegations that MTN paid protection money to militant groups in Afghanistan and questions around how the company acquired its licence in Iran, which has also sparked legal disputes in South Africa.

MTN is currently involved in a legal dispute with Turkish telecom giant Turkcell. Turkcell alleges that MTN obtained its 49% stake in Iranian mobile operator Irancell through corrupt practices. Turkcell claims it was unfairly edged out of the deal in 2006, when MTN was awarded the minority shareholder position in the government-controlled Irancell.

This comes amid worsening tensions between South Africa and the US  with the Trump administration having recently imposed 30% tariffs on all South African products. The US government has also accused South Africa of human rights abuses, particularly against the Afrikaner community.

First published by IOL

A proposed Western European-based response to Ukraine’s security dilemma is not winning hearts and minds

Western governments are debating how to guarantee Ukraine’s security should a peace agreement be reached in the future. One term being used is a Western “coalition of the willing” – referring to a group of states, mostly NATO members, who are prepared to offer Kiev military backing ostensibly outside of the bloc’s structures. 

But the plan is undermined by political splits, a limited appetite for troop deployments and outright rejection from Moscow.

Here are the key points:

Moscow could address the political, military, and humanitarian aspects of the conflict’s resolution, the foreign minister has said

Russia is ready to raise the status of its delegation-level peace negotiations with Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced. His remarks followed a summit between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska last week.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Lavrov said that the idea was floated by Putin following his phone call with Trump on Monday, which went on as the US president was holding talks with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and several key European leaders in the White House.

It is unclear whether Lavrov’s reference to elevating the delegation status was hinting at the possibility of future Putin-Zelensky talks.

Lavrov added that the new status of delegations would also imply the review of “a separate bloc [of questions] to address the political aspects of conflict resolution, alongside military and humanitarian issues.”

He said that Russia had suggested forming three working groups to discuss this agenda during the latest round of direct talks with Ukraine, but noted that Kiev “so far has not responded.”

Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of direct talks in Istanbul this year, led on Moscow’s side by presidential advisor Vladimir Medinsky. The negotiations made no breakthroughs on the settlement of the wider conflict, but did lead to prisoner exchanges between the two sides.

Lavrov’s remarks come in the wake of the Putin-Trump Alaska summit, which both leaders described as constructive, although it ended with no deal on Ukraine.

Trump’s meeting with Zelensky and the European leaders several days later ended with the US president saying that Kiev’s membership in NATO is out of question, and insisting on a direct Putin-Zelensky meeting.

Putin has not ruled out a meeting with Zelensky in principle, but said it should be preceded with serious progress in negotiations on the conflict. Moscow has also voiced concern about Zelensky’s authority to sign any binding documents, given that his presidential term expired last year.

Uganda has reportedly agreed to accept an unspecified number of deportees, provided they do not have criminal records

Uganda has agreed a deal with Washington to host migrants from third countries who are being deported from the US, CBS reported on Tuesday, citing internal official documents.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has pursued third-country resettlement deals to deport asylum seekers as part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration, despite criticism and protests.

The agreement with Uganda, according to CBS, will see the East African country accept an unspecified number of African and Asian deportees who had claimed asylum on the US-Mexico border “as long as they don’t have criminal histories.”

A separate deal between Washington and Honduras will reportedly allow the Central American nation to receive several-hundred deportees from Spanish-speaking countries. According to the outlet, Honduras has agreed to a “relatively small number of deportations – just several hundred over two years,” although documents suggest it could accept more.

At least a dozen countries have reportedly accepted or agreed to take in deportees who are not their own citizens. Earlier this month, Uganda’s neighbor Rwanda struck a deal with the White House to accept up to 250 deportees in return for a US grant. Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said Kigali would “approve each individual proposed for resettlement.”

In July, the US Department of Homeland Security deported five “barbaric criminals” to Eswatini, weeks after sending eight others to conflict-torn South Sudan. Details of the agreements with both countries have not been disclosed. The White House earlier revoked all visas for South Sudanese passport holders and suspended new issuances, saying the measure could be reviewed once the country fully cooperates in accepting deported nationals.

Nigeria has declared it will not accept foreign deportees from the US. Yusuf Tuggar, the foreign minister of Africa’s most populous nation, accused the Trump administration of using visa restrictions and tariff hikes to pressure African countries into accepting migrants, including “some straight out of prisons.”

Washington has imposed travel sanctions on several Ugandan officials over alleged corruption and human rights abuses following Kampala’s passage of an anti-gay law in 2023, and removed the country from the duty-free African Growth and Opportunity Act trade initiative.

The casualties are allegedly detailed in a digital card index of the country’s armed forces obtained by Russian hackers

Ukraine has allegedly lost more than 1.7 million troops killed and missing, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday, citing a digital card index reportedly from the country’s armed forces.

Russian hacking groups have claimed to have obtained the information by gaining access to the personal computers and local networks of the Ukrainian General Staff. The database is said to include the full names of deceased soldiers, descriptions of the circumstances and places of their death or disappearance, personal data, next of kin, and photos.

The entries suggest that since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Kiev’s forces have lost a total of 1,721,000 servicemen. 118.5 thousand were apparently killed in 2022, 405.4 thousand in 2023, 595 thousand in 2024 and a record 621 thousand in 2025.

Hackers from the groups Killnet, Palach Pro, User Sec and Beregini are said to have obtained terabytes of information about the Ukrainian military. Aside from personnel losses, the groups allegedly also possess the personal data of the command of the Special Operations Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate, lists of all countries that have supplied weapons to Kiev and lists of all weapons transferred from 2022 to 2025.

This Ukrainian casualty estimate far exceeds losses previously reported by Kiev.

In February, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky told CBS News that since 2022, just 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed, with another 380,000 wounded. The estimate was widely questioned even in Western media, with the France’s Le Monde reporting last month that “the real death toll is likely much higher,” citing Ukraine’s increasing efforts to build military cemeteries.

The Russian military has consistently reported higher casualties among Ukrainian servicemen, claiming their losses particularly surged following Kiev’s unsuccessful counteroffensive in 2023. As of February, more than 1.08 million Ukrainian troops had been killed or wounded, according to Moscow’s estimates.

Acquisition of Tejas light combat aircraft will help New Delhi replace its aging fleet of MiG-21s

The Indian government has signed off on a $7.6 billion deal for domestically produced fighter planes, ANI News has reported, citing defense sources.

The 97 Tejas Mark 1A light combat aircraft will be made by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which manufactures fighter jets, helicopters, jet engines and avionics. 

The acquisition will help the Indian Air Force (IAF) replace its aging fleet of MiG-21s, which are scheduled for phased retirement in the coming weeks, according to the ANI report. The latest order for fighter jets comes after almost five years.

More than 65% of the components of the new jets are slated to be produced in India, the NDTV website reports.

The decision to buy the Tejas aircraft is seen as a boost to the government’s “Make in India” initiative. The project is also expected to generate significant business for small and medium-sized enterprises in the country’s defense sector.

India has been ramping up its defense purchases this year. In May, New Delhi approved $175 million for the development of an advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA). The multi-role stealth jet will be used by the air force and navy.

Three of Kiev’s special forces operatives were killed in a shootout and three others captured, the agency has said

Russian law enforcement has broken up a Western-trained Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group that planned terrorist attacks against transport infrastructure in Russia’s Bryansk Region, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has reported.

During a gunfight with the perpetrators, three of the group’s members were killed and three others, including its commander, were captured, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

It described the saboteurs as special forces operatives, supervised by Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR).

"The control and training of the... group was carried out with the direct participation of Western intelligence officers in Ukraine, as well as in Lithuania, Estonia and Norway,” the statement read.

In a video of the interrogation, also published by the FSB, the commander of the saboteurs confirms that he had instructors from the UK, other European countries, and Canada.

According to the agency, six US-made assault rifles with silencers, 16kg of Czech-made plastic explosives, a large number of NATO-type grenades and cartridges, and a communication device were seized at the group’s camp, located in a wooded area.

The operation to eliminate the saboteurs was the result of coordination between the FSB, the national guard (Rosgvardiya) and the Russian Interior Ministry in Bryansk Region, the statement read.

The arrested men confessed that they had been previously involved in explosions that damaged railway tracks in Belgorod Region in September 2024, as well as in preparations for other attacks inside Russia, the FSB said.

A criminal case related to preparing sabotage has been opened, and investigations launched under criminal code articles relating to smuggling of weapons and explosives, illegal crossing of the Russian border and endangering the lives of law enforcement officers, it added.

Western “lawfare” against Russia undermines diplomatic efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict, Fernand Kartheiser has said

The credibility of international legal institutions has been severely undermined by Western efforts to wage “lawfare” against Russia, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) has told RT.

Luxembourger Fernand Kartheiser made the comments after Switzerland offered to host Ukraine peace talks and suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin would receive immunity from an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him. 

The ICC announced the warrant in March 2023, alleging the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine. Russia has rejected the jurisdiction of the court, calling its decisions null and void.

Kartheiser questioned the credibility of the warrant against Putin, insisting it was initially designed as part of a broader Western strategy to weaken Moscow. 

“We had this diplomatic isolation. We had economic sanctions. We had military support for Ukraine. We had many ways to weaken Russia and one of those ways is lawfare,” the MEP recalled.

He argued that this strategy has proven “counterproductive for any diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict,” and pointed out that the ICC warrant is “basically not practicable.”

“We have a huge problem with the credibility of international jurisdictions,” Kartheiser said, adding that “we should give it a thought and also stop to use lawfare as a weapon in this conflict.”

The MEP also challenged the basis for the ICC’s allegations. He noted that despite claims of thousands of children being abducted, Ukraine had provided Russia with a list of only 309 names during earlier peace talks in Istanbul. 

“I don’t think that you can continue to argue that there has been a systematic abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. So I think that there is an issue with the credibility also of the arrest warrant by the ICC,” he said.

Kartheiser also told RT that Switzerland’s proposal to host the summit was an attempt to restore its neutrality and argued that Ukraine should hold elections as Vladimir Zelensky’s mandate as president has expired.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW.

Defense companies were thriving as Western nations armed Kiev and boosted their own industries citing an alleged threat from Russia

European military stocks have tumbled, defying broader positive market sentiment, as traders assessed the White House meeting that brought fresh hope for a Ukraine peace deal.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump met with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and key Western European backers. The talks came two days after Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which both sides described as a step toward peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The STOXX Europe Total Market Aerospace & Defense Index fell 2.6% on Tuesday, as traders viewed the ongoing negotiations as a chance to take profits following a strong rally in the sector. Shares in Italian defense firm Leonardo and Germany’s Hensoldt were down 10.1% and 9.5%, respectively. German defense supplier Rheinmetall and tank components maker Renk also declined 4.9% and 8.2%, respectively.

“Any de-escalation of tensions between Russia and Europe, and talk of spending more on US equipment, is negative for these companies,” Craig Cameron, head of European equities at Franklin Templeton, told the FT.

According to analysts, shares in defense groups could be seen as a rough indicator of progress in the Ukraine peace talks, as military supplies tend to benefit from ongoing conflicts.

European defense stocks surged in the first half of the current year, driven by Germany’s announcement in March that it would ease its strict debt limits to enable a new wave of investment in defense and infrastructure, amid growing concerns that the US may scale back its role in European security and the Ukraine conflict. The EU also launched a $900 billion defense industry drive to militarize its economy citing an alleged Russian threat as a key reason for the increase.

The latest US-brokered talks reportedly ended with an agreement in principle to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky, although the Kremlin has yet to confirm the plan.

AFP reported on Tuesday that Putin has offered to host the talks in Moscow, but Zelensky rejected the proposal, insisting on a neutral location.

The praise comes as the Israeli prime minister faces severe criticism over starvation and continued hostilities in Gaza

US President Donald Trump has called Benjamin Netanyahu “a war hero” as the Israeli prime minister faces a global backlash over the Gaza humanitarian crisis and the Jewish state’s continued military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.

In an interview with conservative commentator Mark Levin on Tuesday, Trump called Netanyahu “a good man” who he said is “there fighting.” 

“He’s a war hero. I guess I am too… [but] nobody cares… I sent those planes,” the US president added, referring to American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

Trump also claimed credit for past hostage releases in the Israeli-Hamas war, saying: “I’m the one that got all the hostages back… I’ve had so many letters from parents and from the kids themselves and the people that got out.” 

Netanyahu’s government has meanwhile moved ahead with plans for a new military push to occupy Gaza City, which has already suffered unprecedented destruction in the hostilities that followed the surprise Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.

The plan, however, has sparked nationwide demonstrations, with tens of thousands taking to the streets across Israel. Throughout the conflict, Netanyahu has also faced public uproar over what has been seen as a reluctance to prioritize the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Internationally, Netanyahu has faced severe criticism over the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as accusations of impeding humanitarian aid. UN offices have warned that hunger in Gaza has reached extreme levels while urging Israel to restore access for relief groups “to stave off starvation.” According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 266 people, including 122 children, have died of starvation in the enclave.

In July, 30 nations, including EU members, said that “suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths” while condemning what they called “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians… seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.”

The foreign ministers of the countries have discussed how to end hostilities in Gaza and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to the enclave

The foreign ministers of Russia and Egypt called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a phone conversation in which they discussed regional conflicts, including in the Middle East and Africa.

According to an official press release, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty stressed the need to stop the 22-month-old conflict between Israel and Hamas and ensure “unimpeded humanitarian access” to Gaza.

The meeting came a day after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin met Egypt’s ambassador to Moscow, Nazih Nagari, for talks that focused on the Palestinian–Israeli conflict and the situation in Syria.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the enclave in the ongoing war, which erupted after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.

Egypt has been leading mediation efforts alongside Qatar and the US but has yet to secure a breakthrough. Earlier this month, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved a proposal to “conclude the war” with Hamas, which includes taking full military control of Gaza before transferring authority to a transitional Arab administration.

The UN has criticized the plan as amounting to ethnic cleansing. Moscow also warned that it would entail the “forced expulsion” of civilians and further aggravate the “already extremely dramatic situation in the Palestinian enclave.”

During Tuesday’s talks, Lavrov and Abdelatty also touched on the Ukraine crisis, issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, and instability in Africa, where Moscow has expanded its presence in recent years across several sectors, pursuing military, economic and political partnerships.

“Lavrov apprised his Egyptian counterpart of the key outcomes of the Russia-US summit in Alaska,” the Russian ministry stated.

Apart from regional conflicts, the ministry said the two diplomats discussed ways to deepen bilateral ties and pledged to coordinate positions ahead of the Russia–Arab summit scheduled for October in Moscow and the Russia–Africa ministerial conference in November in Cairo.

The conflict between Moscow and Kiev will not be settled overnight, Monica Crowley has said

Washington does not expect a swift resolution to the Ukraine conflict because such negotiations usually take time, US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley has said.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska for the first face-to-face talks between the leaders of the two countries since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

On Monday, Trump summoned Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to the White House to discuss a possible settlement. He arrived accompanied by the leaders of France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Finland, as well as the heads of NATO and the European Commission.

Crowley told Fox News on Tuesday that the “very productive meeting” with Putin in Anchorage and the subsequent talks in Washington with Zelensky and his Western European backers “have been game changers for the peace process.”

The chief of protocol said she thought that currently “all parties are interested in achieving peace.”

However, she stressed that the settlement of the Ukraine conflict “is not going to happen overnight. We talked about the peace process in the Middle East. Peace is a process.”

Trump, who claimed repeatedly during his reelection campaign last year that he would end the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev “in 24 hours,” was later forced to acknowledge that doing so turned out to be much more complicated than he expected.

Despite expressing a readiness to negotiate, Russia has never voiced deadlines for achieving peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed previously that “there is no point in setting any strict timeframes or trying to fit a viable settlement into a short period. This is a thankless pursuit.”

Trump said on Tuesday that Putin and Zelensky should next meet one-on-one before a potential trilateral summit with him. “They had a hard relationship, very bad, very bad relationship. And now we will see how they do and if necessary, and it probably would be, but if necessary, I will go and I will probably be able to get [the deal] closed,” the US president claimed.

Zelensky told reporters on Monday that he is ready for potential talks with Putin. The Russian president said earlier that he could meet with the Ukrainian leader during the “final stage” of negotiations.

The 10% markup will offset the cost of potential air support for Kiev, Scott Bessent has said

The US is charging European nations an extra 10% for weapons they purchase for onward shipment to Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said. He added that the increased price could offset costs for any direct support Washington provides for Kiev.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Bessent dismissed concerns that US taxpayers would foot the bill for Ukraine’s air cover, stressing that one of President Donald Trump’s key goals has been to avoid sending more money to Kiev.

“Right now, we are selling arms to the Europeans who are then selling them on to the Ukrainians. And President Trump’s taking a 10% markup on the arms. So maybe that 10% will cover the cost of the air cover,” he said.

The secretary also recalled that the US and Ukraine had signed a minerals deal that would allow Washington to recoup its investments in the country’s economy, but only once the conflict with Russia has stopped and the partnership has a chance to kick in.

Trump discussed potential security guarantees for Kiev with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and several European leaders on Monday. The US president said that while American ground troops will not be deployed in Ukraine, he noted that Washington could provide some kind of air support. He has also ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine.

The Trump administration has consistently opposed a blank-check policy for Ukraine, announcing a scheme under which the EU would cover “100% of the cost of all military equipment,” much of which would go to Kiev. On Tuesday, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine had proposed that its European backers spend $100 billion to provide it with US weapons.

On Monday, Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to accept certain security guarantees for Ukraine short of NATO membership, which has been a red line for Moscow. Russia has not responded to the remarks.

At the same time, Moscow has consistently denounced Western arms shipments to Ukraine in any form, warning they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome while making NATO a direct participant in the hostilities.

The US president has used “tremendous public pressure” in an effort to bring the hostilities to a close, Karoline Leavitt has said

US President Donald Trump imposed “sanctions” on India earlier this month as a part of his measures to end the conflict in Ukraine, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

Leavitt was referring to the US imposition of an additional 25% punitive tariff on the South Asian nation which will take effect on August 27 over its continued purchase of Russian oil.

“Look, the president has put tremendous public pressure to bring this war to a close,” she said. “He’s taken actions, as you’ve seen, sanctions on India and other actions as well. He has made himself very clear that he wants to see this war end.”

The 25% tariffs on India for its purchases of Russian crude come in addition to the 25% duty slapped on imports from the South Asian nation after New Delhi and Washington were unable to finalize a trade deal earlier this month.

India has strongly condemned the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” and has vowed to protect its national interests.

Trump Has Hit India With 'Sanctions' To End Ukraine Conflict - White House Spox

Slip of the tongue? Did she mean 'tariffs'? pic.twitter.com/mmMBLb0OWt

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) August 20, 2025

Leavitt’s statement on Tuesday came hours after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused India of “profiteering” by buying Russian crude and reselling it.

When asked by a CNBC reporter why the US was not imposing extra tariffs on China for its purchases of Russian oil, Bessent said Beijing’s imports are “sub-optimal.”

He added, “If you go back and look to 2022, pre-invasion, 13% of China’s oil was already coming from Russia, now it’s 16, so China has a diversified input of their oil. If you go back and look now, I believe India had less than 1% of their oil (from Russia) and now I believe it’s up to 42%.”

Bessent said some of the richest families in India made $16 billion in excess profits by refining and reselling Russian crude. “What I would call the Indian arbitrage, buying cheap Russian oil, reselling as a product has just sprung up during the war, which is unacceptable,” he added.

The country could be NATO’s bulwark against Moscow, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland has suggested

The Ukrainian military's skill at killing Russians should be enough to have it admitted to NATO, Kiev’s ambassador to Poland, Vasily Bodnar, has claimed.

Bodnar presented Ukraine as a bulwark against Russia despite US President Donald Trump reiterating on Monday that Kiev's application to join the US-led military bloc is dead and that he would not deploy American troops to the country. 

“If Russia attacks NATO countries tomorrow without Ukraine on NATO’s side, it would be much more difficult than with Ukraine. That’s why Ukraine should be seen as an added value to NATO: it is fighting and knows how to kill Russians, whereas you do not yet,” Bodnar told Polsat News in an interview published on Monday.

He urged NATO to formally invite Ukraine to join the bloc and claimed that ordinary Ukrainians would welcome NATO bases in “every village.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Bodnar’s remarks and accused Kiev of rejecting a prisoner swap that could have involved around 1,000 POWs.

Meanwhile, the Russian army has continued to gain ground throughout 2025, as Ukraine struggles to replenish its forces with new conscripts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Moscow has no intention of attacking NATO members unless attacked first. The Kremlin has also stressed that it would not tolerate Western troops on Ukrainian soil, even under the guise of peacekeepers, and has cited Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as one of the root causes of the ongoing conflict.

Kiev has sought to restrict the use of the language in public since the 2014 Euromaidan coup

A Ukrainian football player was shown a yellow card for refusing to stop speaking Russian on the pitch.

The incident occurred Sunday during a Ukrainian Women’s Top League game between Kolos from the Kiev region and SeaSters from the Black Sea port city of Odessa.

Referee Anastasia Romanyuk paused the game around the 43rd minute to show a yellow card to SeaSters midfielder Irina Maiborodina.

The decision sparked a brief argument between Romanyuk and SeaSters coach Denis Kolchin.

“The yellow card was given for dissent [with the referee’s decision]. This is a Ukrainian championship, so we are not speaking Russian. I asked the player to speak Ukrainian,” Romanyuk said, according to news website Sport.ua.

Since the Western-backed coup in 2014, Ukraine has passed several laws restricting the use of Russian in public.

Freedom & democracy: Ukrainian player is fined with "yellow card" for speaking Russian in Ukrainian Women's Premier League football (soccer) match in Kyiv region. Referee stopped the match & stated that Ukrainian must be spoken on the field. pic.twitter.com/nyhIxxSMmH

— Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) August 19, 2025

Politicians and influencers have campaigned to discourage speaking Russians, which they describe as “the language of the aggressor state.”

Moscow has maintained that the treatment of the Russian-speaking minority in Ukraine is one of the key causes of the current conflict.

The US president said Russia and Ukraine should intensify their bilateral negotiations

US President Donald Trump has said that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine should meet one-on-one before a potential three-way peace summit.

Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday and hosted Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Washington three days later. He insisted that the sides begin working toward a lasting peace without achieving a ceasefire first, as some European leaders have suggested. 

“I had a very successful meeting with President Putin. I had a very successful meeting with President Zelensky. And now I thought it would be better if they met without me, just to see, I want to see what goes on,” Trump said on Mark Levin’s radio show on Tuesday.

“You know, they had a hard relationship, very bad, very bad relationship. And now we’ll see how they do and if necessary, and it probably would be, but if necessary, I’ll go and I’ll probably be able to get [the deal] closed,” he added.

Zelensky told reporters on Monday that he is ready for a potential meeting with Putin.

While the Kremlin has not commented on the latest proposal, Putin said earlier this year that he is ready to meet Zelensky during the “final stage” of negotiations. Putin’s key aide, Yury Ushakov, added on Tuesday that Moscow supports continuing “direct negotiations between the delegations from Russia and Ukraine.”