🇺🇲🇷🇺🇮🇳 India begins search for alternative to Russian oil after Trump threatens "secondary tariffs"

Just as Indian oil refiners were starting to find substitutes for sanctioned tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet and hoping for the resumption of regular deliveries, new risks emerged. Donald Trump threatened to impose secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian oil if Russia does not agree to a peace settlement to end the military conflict in Ukraine.

State-owned companies Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have begun arranging additional purchases to receive oil in May from regions such as the Middle East, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean, Bloomberg reported, citing traders familiar with the matter. This week’s tenders go beyond the usual procurement cycle. According to the traders, the hastily organized auctions likely indicate concerns about India’s ability to receive all the barrels it previously purchased from Russian suppliers for March-April loading.

Trump, who had previously spoken favorably of Vladimir Putin and his willingness to stop the fighting in Ukraine, stated on March 30 that he was “very angry” with the Russian president. “If we can’t make a deal with Russia to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I decide it’s Russia’s fault, (…) I will impose secondary tariffs on all Russian oil,” Trump said. Last week, he had already introduced such a measure — which experts call a new tool with questionable enforceability — against Venezuelan oil.

In the case of Russia, Trump specified that the tariff could range from 25% to 50%, and those who continue buying Russian oil would be banned from doing business in the United States. The American president later added that he had set a “psychological deadline” for Russia to make peace with Ukraine. “If I decide they’re stalling, I won’t be happy about it,” Trump said.

🇺🇲 The Trump administration has begun mass layoffs in U.S. medical agencies, according to Reuters.

About 10,000 employees, including staff from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have been affected.

The U.S. Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr., believes that the layoffs at the CDC and FDA are necessary to "reform the overgrown bureaucratic system."

🇺🇸 - Trump said Elon Musk will step back from his current role in the coming weeks.

🇷🇺 Strategic bomber Tu-22M3 crashes in Irkutsk region

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber has crashed in the Irkutsk region, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense. The crew managed to eject, but tragically, one pilot did not survive. The crash was caused by a technical malfunction.

The aircraft went down in an uninhabited area, and there was no damage reported on the ground.

The Tu-22M3 is a long-range supersonic bomber developed during the Soviet era. It is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons, making it a key component of Russia’s strategic aviation forces.

🇧🇦 - Reports that Interpol is refusing to issue an international arrest warrant citing Article 3 of its statute which prohibits involvement in cases of a political, military, religious, or racial nature.

🇮🇷🇺🇸⚡️Iran will face "the end" by September if it does not agree to a nuclear deal and begin dismantling its nuclear program, claims The Daily Express, citing sources close to Trump's team.

🇷🇺 KamAZ can go bankrupt amid Chinese competition and lack of modern technologies

Russian truck manufacturer KamAZ has voiced frustration over its Eastern partners' unwillingness to share technology. According to deputy CEO Mikhail Matasov, Russia’s automotive development strategy overly relies on cooperation with Asian partners, expecting a transfer of technologies that is simply not happening. Matasov noted that these partners are not interested in deep technological collaboration, partly due to their dependency on the U.S., which he referred to as a "non-partner."

KamAZ previously had a long-standing partnership with Germany’s Daimler (Mercedes-Benz Group), which held a 15% stake since 2008. However, this ended after the start of the war in Ukraine, when Daimler withdrew from the Russian market and eventually sold its shares in 2024.

🔥 The company is now facing a sharp decline in profits, which fell 28-fold in 2024 compared to the previous year—from 20.4 billion rubles down to just 731 million rubles. The reasons include rising interest rates, increased profit taxes, and intensified competition from Chinese truck manufacturers. KamAZ’s sales dropped by a third to 17,254 units, while Chinese brand Sitrak overtook the market lead with 19,409 trucks sold.

The situation highlights the growing challenges for Russian industry in the absence of Western partners and the limited support from new Eastern alliances.

🇺🇸U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that at the meeting in Brussels, he will demand that each NATO country commit to increasing military spending to 5% of GDP.

🇩🇪🇺🇸 For Germany, Trump's tariffs are an "economic disaster," German economists told Bild.

According to calculations by the German Economic Institute in Cologne, over four years the tariffs could cost Germany 200 billion euros, and the GDP could drop by 1.5% by 2028.

"For Germany, a 20% tariff is an economic disaster," said the authors of the study, Jürgen Matthes and Samina Sultan.

The total damage for the EU could amount to around 750 billion euros.

🇩🇪 - German car manufacturing giant Porsche is holding internal talks to re-enter the defense industry after a multi-decade hiatus.

🇺🇦 Zelensky hints at compromise on lost territory

While Ukraine will never recognize the lost territories as part of Russia — “that’s a red line” — Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv is open to waiting and eventually reclaiming them through diplomatic means.

The President emphasizes Ukraine’s stance but hints at a possible shift in strategy — if diplomacy can yield results.

🇮🇷🇺🇸 U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Iran has requested direct talks on the "nuclear deal."