Hook Weekly Wrap | 08.08.25
Trump punishing India for buying Russian oil, slaps 50% tariff on Indian goods
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday slapped India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil. According to Trump’s executive order, the new rate will be effective Aug 27 and will raise the total tariff on Indian imports to the US to 50%.
India’s Foreign Ministry in response called the tariff “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”. Nevertheless, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met with Putin just a day later in Moscow. Reports suggest that the NSA’s itinerary was focussed on the Russian President’s visit to Delhi later this year, as India seeks to deepen Indo-Russian security and defence ties. But it is highly likely that Trump’s latest diktat dominated the proceedings.
US-Russia bilateral talks to happen next week, Zelenskyy snubbed
Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday said he is ready to meet Putin despite the Russian leader’s refusal to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Putin on his part suggested that the UAE could be a suitable place to hold the potential bilateral summit with Trump.
Importantly, Russia has dismissed the opportunity for a trilateral meet where Putin would meet Trump first and then Zelenskyy.
Netanyahu unveils Gaza takeover plans
Shifting focus to the Middle East - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Fox News confirmed that Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza and then hand over the territory to Arab forces that would govern it.
Hamas in a statement called Netanyahu’s comments “a blatant coup” against the negotiation process. The group also said it confirms beyond any doubt that the Israeli Prime Minister “seeks to get rid of his captives and sacrifice them”.
Bill Clinton among high-profile figures to receive legal summons in Epstein investigation
And lastly, former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary are among high-profile figures to be sent legal summons from a congressional committee investigating the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted Epstein associate, has had her scheduled Aug 11 deposition postponed indefinitely.
That’s all for geopolitics this week. Download the app or log on to Hook.online for all the latest updates.
