US President Donald Trump threatened "secondary tariffs" on buyers of Russian oil if Vladimir Putin refuses a ceasefire with Ukraine, saying he was "pissed off" and "very angry" at Putin for casting doubt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's legitimacy as a negotiating partner. The threats against one of the world's three largest oil producers mark a significant change of tone, and reflect a growing frustration with the Kremlin. Trump also said he plans to start his reciprocal tariff push with "all countries," tamping down speculation he could limit the initial scope of levies set to be unveiled on Wednesday. The tariffs are a centerpiece of his plan to rebalance global trade and boost US manufacturing while collecting payments to fund his domestic policy priorities. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said any attack by the US or Israel would be met with "a firm retaliatory strike," after Trump threatened to bomb Iran unless it signs a deal renouncing nuclear weapons. The government in Tehran has told Trump it won't engage in direct negotiations with his administration because of a lack of trust, according to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, though he said indirect communication would remain a possibility. France's anti-immigration National Rally leader, Marine Le Pen, was today found guilty in an embezzlement case involving millions of euros in European Union funds and handed an electoral ban. Judges in Paris were still reading out their decision at the time of publication and it remained unclear whether she'd be barred from running for president in 2027. Le Pen, who denies wrongdoing, has accused the prosecution of seeking her "political death." Le Pen at the National Assembly in Paris last month. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg The US military has begun to upgrade its operations in Japan to a new "war-fighting" command, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, highlighting the Trump administration's focus on China as its primary security challenge. Hegseth made his comments in Tokyo, the final stop on a swing through the Asia-Pacific that went some way toward reassuring allies that it intends to remain engaged in the region. Giorgia Meloni had hoped her proximity to the Trump camp would consolidate her position at the center of European politics, but the next wave of US tariffs could be far more damaging to Italy's economy and to a prime minister who is suddenly looking under pressure. Meloni in Rome in January. Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg Greenland's new prime minister said Trump won't get the arctic island, the first comments Jens-Frederik Nielsen has made since forming a government on Friday and after Vice President JD Vance visited a US military base in the far north of the autonomous Danish territory. Trump said he wouldn't rule out seeking a third term in the White House, telling NBC News yesterday that "there are methods" that would allow him to do so and he's "not joking." Israel's government defied the courts and named Eli Sharvit as the new head of the country's domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, after political rifts led to the dismissal of his predecessor. |
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