In what will be a blow to the funding of Vladimir Putin’s war machine, India has signed a deal with the U.S. to lower tariffs against it in return for ending its importation of cheap Russian oil.

Following a phone call with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would cut his levy on Indian goods from 50% to 18% – including the removal of an extra punitive 25% tariff that was applied in response to India’s buying of discounted crude oil from Russia.

Since western sanctions on Russian oil, following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has been offloading cheap oil to China, Turkey and India, among others, the latter spending 2.3 billion euros on the fuel in December alone.

Xi Jinping Purges Top Military Leaders

China’s military is undergoing one of the most far-reaching shake-ups of the Xi Jinping era, as a growing number of generals disappear from public view or are formally removed from their posts.

The recent purging of top general Zhang Youxia, alongside another senior officer, General Liu Zhenli, has raised fresh questions about the internal power struggles unfolding within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and what they mean for China’s military readiness.

Analysts are closely watching the impact on Beijing’s ability to project force, including any ambition to seize Taiwan or engage in a major regional conflict.

Of the seven men appointed to the Central Military Commission (CMC) in 2022, only two are now believed to remain: President Xi Jinping himself and General Zhang Shengmin.

Zhang Shengmin, the sole remaining uniformed general, has overseen Xi’s military purges and appears tasked with enforcing political discipline and loyalty within the armed forces.

The specific allegations against the removed generals have not been made public and may never be disclosed. While the campaign has been framed as an anti-corruption drive, its expanding scope has led many observers to conclude that political loyalty – not just misconduct – is increasingly under scrutiny.

That dynamic has raised doubts about command stability and whether Xi’s stated goal of transforming the PLA into a world-class military by 2027 remains achievable on its current timetable.

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