Trump - Daily Democracy Now!

Trump removes 40 pc tariffs on over 200 Brazilian products

Nysa Rajesh Warlekar — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 21:57:03 +0530

Washington, 21st November 2025

President Donald Trump has rolled back a 40 per cent tariff on more than 200 Brazilian agricultural and livestock products, including beef, coffee, cocoa, vegetables, and some ammonia-based fertilisers.

The tariffs were originally part of a broader trade dispute, but they have been reduced as part of the Trump administration's effort to lower consumer costs for Americans. The move follows negotiations with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The White House issued an executive order to eliminate punitive tariffs on some agricultural products from Brazil on Thursday.

The refund of the duties collected since April 13, when the executive order took effect, will be handled by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The newly added exemption list covers around 250 categories in the 8-digit subheadings of the Harmonised Tariff Schedule of the United States, including coffee, bovine meat, tomatoes, tea, spices, fruits and nuts.

Trump initially imposed a 10 per cent tariff on nearly all countries and later added a 40 per cent penalty specifically on Brazil, bringing some goods’ total tariffs to 50 per cent.

The punitive tariffs were imposed in response to the prosecution and 27-year prison sentence of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula.

Last week, the general 10 per cent tariff on Brazilian agricultural goods was already lifted.

Trump had signed the original executive order on July 30, citing “politically motivated persecution” of Bolsonaro and labelling Brazil’s actions a “threat to U.S. national security and the economy.”

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Trump solidifies economic, defence partnership with Saudi Arabia

Nysa Rajesh Warlekar — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 22:15:02 +0530

Washington, 19th November 2025

President Donald J Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia finalised a wide-ranging set of agreements aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation across defence, energy, technology, and trade, while increasing Saudi Arabia's total investment commitments in the United States to nearly USD 1 trillion.

The White House described the agreement as a major step that will deepen the U.S.-Saudi strategic partnership, expand opportunities for high-paying American jobs, strengthen critical supply chains, and reinforce regional stability—all while putting American workers, industry, and security first.

These agreements build directly on the President’s highly successful May visit to Riyadh and the USD 600 billion in Saudi investment commitments secured for the United States at that time, the White House statement said on Tuesday.

In a major expansion of this partnership, the Crown Prince announced today that Saudi Arabia will be increasing their investment commitments in the United States to almost USD 1 trillion, reflecting deepening trust and momentum for the United States under President Trump’s leadership.

Key achievements include the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, advancements in critical minerals cooperation, and an AI Memorandum of Understanding—all of which underscore the United States’ commitment to securing deals that directly benefit the American people.
These agreements demonstrate the Trump Administration’s “America First” approach, reinforcing the United States as a leader on the world stage while securing our economic future.
Through deals reached today with Saudi Arabia, President Trump is positioning America as a leader in energy and advanced technology while ensuring our supply chains remain resilient.
The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations on Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation, which builds the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar nuclear energy partnership with the Kingdom; confirms that the United States and American companies will be the Kingdom’s civil nuclear cooperation partners of choice; and ensures that all cooperation will be conducted in a manner consistent with strong nonproliferation standards.

The United States and Saudi Arabia also signed a Critical Minerals Framework, deepening collaboration and aligning our national strategies to diversify critical mineral supply chains. This agreement builds on similar deals President Trump secured with other trading partners to safeguard America’s supply chain resilience for essential minerals.

The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark AI Memorandum of Understanding that gives the Kingdom access to world-leading American systems while protecting U.S. technology from foreign influence, ensuring that American innovators will shape the future of global AI.
President Trump is advancing U.S. national security by forging agreements that enhance regional deterrence, grow the American industrial base, and ensure that partners like Saudi Arabia shoulder more responsibility for countering shared threats.

President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the U.S.-Saudi Strategic Defence Agreement (SDA), a historic agreement that strengthens our more than 80-year defence partnership and fortifies deterrence across the Middle East.

The SDA is a win for the America First agenda, making it easier for U.S. defence firms to operate in Saudi Arabia, securing new burden-sharing funds from Saudi Arabia to defray U.S. costs, and affirming that the Kingdom views the United States as its primary strategic partner.
The President secured agreements reinforcing America’s role as a regional security enabler, enhancing our U.S. military partnerships to better allow partners to deter and defeat threats.
President Trump approved a major defence sale package, including future F-35 deliveries, which strengthens the U.S. defence industrial base and ensures Saudi Arabia continues to buy American.

The President secured an agreement for Saudi Arabia to purchase nearly 300 American tanks, enabling Saudi Arabia to build up its own defence capabilities and safeguarding hundreds of American jobs.

President Trump is unlocking unprecedented opportunities for U.S. businesses, exporters, and workers by expanding market access, reducing barriers, and channelling massive Saudi investments into American innovation and infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia’s nearly USD 1 trillion investment commitment into U.S. infrastructure, technology, and industry—rising from the $600 billion initially secured during the President’s May visit and now expanded this week—will flow directly into American communities.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have agreed to intensify their engagement in the coming weeks on trade issues of mutual interest, including in areas related to reducing non-tariff barriers, recognition of standards, and improving the investment environment.

A concrete example of this engagement includes the recently signed agreement to ensure recognition by Saudi Arabia that motor vehicles and parts complying with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) meet its motor vehicle safety requirements.

The United States and Saudi Arabia also reiterate the importance of the existing Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, and intend to use this mechanism for their intensified engagement to support the goal of facilitating bilateral trade.

The Treasury Department and the Saudi Ministry of Finance signed agreements to enhance collaboration on capital markets technology, standards, and regulations, and deepen their partnership in international financial institutions.

The United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advanced new investment opportunities that will expand U.S. exports and reduce trade barriers—direct wins for American manufacturers.
Combined with the critical minerals, nuclear, AI, and defence initiatives announced, these deals will create high-paying American jobs, boost U.S. technological leadership, and deliver massive returns for American workers and families for decades to come.

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Putin-Trump meeting in Hungary postponed, timing undecided

Nysa Rajesh Warlekar — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 22:07:37 +0530

Washington, 22nd October, 2025

A planned meeting in Hungary between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been postponed on Tuesday, with no new date set, according to U.S. and Russian officials.

Preparations for a possible meeting in Budapest, Hungary, were put on hold following a "constructive but inconclusive" phone conversation between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week, the officials said.

Following a phone conversation with Putin last week, Trump said he was ready to meet the Russian leader soon to seek a breakthrough in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the U.S. president told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that he did not want to have "a wasted meeting."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the timing of a possible summit remains undecided, stressing that "serious preparation" would be required before any meeting could take place.
Despite the delay, Russia's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said late Tuesday on his X account that "preparations continue" for a future summit, adding that the meeting had not been cancelled.

The summit delay followed Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, where he ruled out a trilateral summit with Russia and Ukraine, citing deep tensions between Moscow and Kiev.

Trump and Putin met in the U.S. state of Alaska in August, but no deal was reached, and ceasefire negotiations remain deadlocked.

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Jaishankar Lavrov Meet: Key Talks in Moscow on Strategic Partnership and Trade Balance

DN News Network — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:30:12 +0530

Moscow: External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is on an official visit to Russia, where he met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and stressed the need to further strengthen bilateral relations. On Thursday, Jaishankar held crucial talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. The two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional as well as global developments.

The meeting comes at a time when India-Russia relations are deepening across key sectors such as defence, trade, and energy. Jaishankar noted that the talks provided an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming annual summit later this year. “Our leaders have always guided us to take forward the special strategic partnership. We discussed multiple aspects of cooperation and identified solutions. The changing global geopolitical and economic landscape compels us to maximize our complementarities,” he said.

Lavrov, in his remarks, underlined the importance of multipolarity in international relations, highlighting the growing role of groupings such as SCO, BRICS, and G20.

Focus on Trade Imbalance

Ahead of his meeting with Lavrov, Jaishankar flagged the need to urgently address the growing trade imbalance between the two countries. Speaking at the 26th session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), he pointed out that bilateral trade has surged five-fold in four years, from $13 billion in 2021 to $68 billion in 2024-25. However, India’s trade deficit with Russia has also widened sharply from $6.6 billion to $58.9 billion in the same period.

“This imbalance requires immediate attention,” Jaishankar emphasized.

Energy Supplies to Continue

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov assured that energy supplies to India, particularly crude oil, will continue uninterrupted. He also signaled prospects of exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India in the future. Co-chairing the IRIGC session, Manturov highlighted that over 90% of bilateral trade transactions are now settled in national currencies, strengthening resilience against global financial disruptions.

Expanding Cooperation

Manturov further noted that India and Russia will expand collaboration in the banking and insurance sectors and deepen cooperation in nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Both sides reiterated their commitment to broadening strategic ties, with discussions also covering regional security, Asia-Pacific stability, and coordination at multilateral platforms.

With Jaishankar’s meetings setting the stage, the upcoming annual India-Russia summit is expected to yield significant outcomes for the future direction of the partnership.

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