La próxima ronda de conversaciones entre Estados Unidos y China podría incluir compras chinas de petróleo ruso e iraní, dijo el lunes el secretario del Tesoro estadounidense, Scott Bessent, una medida que cambiaría el foco de las negociaciones comerciales hacia cuestiones de seguridad nacional.

El presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, impuso este año nuevos aranceles a aliados y competidores por igual, y en abril Washington y Beijing aumentaron rápidamente los aranceles sobre los productos de cada uno en una escalada de ojo por ojo.

Pero después de conversaciones de alto nivel en Ginebra y Londres, las dos mayores economías del mundo redujeron temporalmente los niveles arancelarios hasta mediados de agosto, mientras continuaban las discusiones.

“Creo que el comercio está en una buena situación”, declaró Bessent a la CNBC en una entrevista. “Y creo que ahora podemos empezar a hablar de otras cosas”.

“Desafortunadamente, los chinos son grandes compradores de petróleo iraní y ruso sancionados. Así que podríamos empezar a discutirlo”, dijo.

La posición de China como principal comprador de petróleo iraní ha servido como un salvavidas clave para Teherán mientras su economía se ve golpeada por las sanciones internacionales.

La segunda economía más grande del mundo también es un comprador clave de energía rusa.

El lunes, Bessent amenazó con tomar medidas estadounidenses contra quienes compren petróleo ruso, señalando una estrategia según la cual “cualquier país que compre petróleo ruso sancionado estará sujeto a aranceles secundarios de hasta el 100 por ciento”.

Esto sugiere que Washington podría imponer fuertes aranceles a los países que descubra que compran dichas exportaciones de energía rusa.

“Instaría a nuestros aliados europeos, que han hablado mucho, a que nos sigan si implementamos estos aranceles secundarios”, dijo Bessent.

Trump, quien ha expresado una creciente frustración con el presidente Vladimir Putin, la semana pasada dio al líder ruso un ultimátum de 50 días para alcanzar un acuerdo de paz con Ucrania o enfrentar sanciones económicas masivas.

Gran Bretaña impuso el lunes sanciones a 135 petroleros de la flota paralela de Rusia, en un intento de interrumpir el flujo de dinero que ayuda a Moscú a financiar la guerra en Ucrania.

Una empresa de servicios navieros y una firma comercializadora de petróleo también fueron sancionadas como parte de la ofensiva contra una flota “responsable de transportar ilícitamente carga por valor de 24.000 millones de dólares desde principios de 2024”, dijo el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores en un comunicado.

Los analistas de seguridad dicen que Rusia utiliza la flota de barcos viejos para eludir las sanciones internacionales que le prohíben vender petróleo.

Cientos de barcos han sido sancionados por la Unión Europea y el Reino Unido desde que el presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, ordenó la invasión de Ucrania en febrero de 2022.

“Las nuevas sanciones desmantelarán aún más la flota en la sombra de Putin y drenarán los fondos de guerra de Rusia de sus cruciales ingresos petroleros”, dijo el lunes el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores, David Lammy.

La medida se produjo apenas unos días después de que “el Reino Unido y la UE redujeran el límite del precio del petróleo crudo, perturbando aún más el flujo de dinero del petróleo hacia el tesoro de guerra de Putin”, añadió el comunicado del ministerio.

El gobierno del Reino Unido también sancionó a la empresa Intershipping Services LLC, acusada de “registrar buques de la flota sombra bajo la bandera de Gabón” y a Litasco Middle East DMCC, vinculada a la petrolera rusa Lukoil, “por su papel continuo en el movimiento de grandes volúmenes de petróleo ruso en buques de la flota sombra”.

Gran Bretaña pidió el lunes más temprano una campaña de 50 días para armar a Ucrania después de que el presidente estadounidense le diera a Moscú 50 días para llegar a un acuerdo de paz con Kiev.

Trump también se comprometió a proporcionar a Kiev nueva ayuda militar, patrocinada por aliados de la OTAN, mientras sus ciudades sufren cada vez más ataques aéreos rusos.

(Con información de AFP)

As the Democratic Party continues to reel from its 2024 losses and deals with internal strife, Republican fundraising nearly doubled that of the Democrats in June, according to reporting by The Hill and a Fox News Digital review.

The Hill reported that the Republican National Committee raised a grand total of $16.2 million in the month of June, far outstripping the Democratic National Committee’s $8.6 million during the same period.

The RNC currently has a war chest totaling $80.78 million, while the DNC has $15.22 million on hand, according to the outlet.

This comes as the Democratic Party had to deal with internal turmoil in June, including drama over former vice-chair David Hogg, a progressive activist, who decided to not seek reelection just months after being elevated to the role. Hogg had sparked considerable internal rifts with his push to primary older incumbent Democrats.

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At the time, DNC vice-chair Malcolm Kenyatta told Fox News Digital the process was «frustrating» and felt like a «slap in the face.»

«We haven’t been able to be singularly focused,» Kenyatta said. «We’ve spent a lot of time talking about procedural nonsense within the DNC. I promise you nobody cares about that, and nobody wants to talk about it as little as I do. I want us to get refocused.»

This comes after Vice President Kamala Harris spent a whopping $1.5 billion during her 15-week campaign that ended in defeat to President Donald Trump, including burning through millions of dollars on star-studded events on the eve of the election, according to a report.

Despite this seemingly dire situation, Democratic Party leadership is taking an optimistic tone, saying in a Monday statement that this June was the «best-ever» for grassroots donations in an off-year in the committee’s history.

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2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris burned through $1.5 billion during her failed presidential bid, including millions spent on high-profile events just before her loss to Trump. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The statement said the party has raised a total of over $50 million since the start of the year.

DNC Chair Ken Martin commented that «around the country, people are energized, ready to fight back, and empowering Democrats to win elections.»

«The DNC is breaking grassroots fundraising records, bringing on more volunteers than ever, and raising record-setting funds to beat Republicans,» said Martin. «Democrats are back in the ring thanks to grassroots energy across all 50 states, and together, we’re going to defeat the toxic Republican agenda and put this country back on track for hard-working families.»

Meanwhile, The Hill also reported the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) outraised its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $32.3 million to $29.1 million in the second quarter of the year and $18.1 million to $12.7 million in June.

The outlet noted that despite the fundraising, the DCCC reported having $39.7 million on hand, while the NRCC has $37.6 million. However, this is the first time in four years that the NRCC outraised the DCCC in the first six months of an election cycle.

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GOP House leaders are touting a financial edge, with Republican congressional campaigns outraising Democrats in key battlegrounds. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A Fox News Digital review of NRCC fundraising numbers found that on average, Republican congressional candidates in swing districts outraised vulnerable House Democrats in the second quarter $1.1 million to $661,000 and have more money on hand by over $848,000.

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In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella said the committee was building a «historic» war chest.

«While House Republicans build a historic war chest to grow the majority, House Democrats are broke, divided, and hijacked by socialists,» said Marinella. «Donors are slamming the brakes because they know this party is pathetic, aimless, and has no chance of taking back the majority.» 

Fox News Digital reached out to the RNC, DNC and DCCC for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey, Paul Steinhauser and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight Monday and into the morning, killing two and injuring 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

«Russian strikes are always an assault on humanity — in Kyiv, a kindergarten caught fire, along with residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. Ordinary apartment buildings were damaged in Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and the region. 15 people have been injured, the youngest is a 12-year-old boy. Everyone is receiving assistance. Two people were killed in the attack,» Zelenskyy noted in the post on Monday.

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«Throughout the night, Russia launched more than 420 drones and over 20 missiles, including ballistic ones. The waves of attacks lasted all night and continued into the morning. In the morning, ‘shaheds’ once again targeted the Kharkiv region. During the shelling, mobile fire groups, army aviation, electronic warfare units, Air Force warriors, and interceptor drones were in action. Many targets were shot down — but unfortunately, not all. That is why we must continue scaling up our interceptor capabilities. This is the kind of solution that can protect us from massive attacks,» he noted in another part of the lengthy post.

Last week while speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President Donald Trump spoke about a plan involving other countries purchasing military equipment from the U.S. and supplying military equipment to Ukraine. 

Trump indicated that equipment will be swiftly delivered to the battlefield for Ukraine’s use.

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP’S WEAPONS SALES TO ALLIES AS ‘SIGNIFICANT’ MOVE THAT COULD FORCE PUTIN TO NEGOTIATE

Firefighters work in a destroyed apartment building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A NATO press release indicated that Rutte was slated to participate in a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on Monday.

«Last week, President Trump announced a new plan for large scale NATO weapons transfers and committed to getting these ‘quickly distributed to the battlefield,’» UK Defense Secretary John Healey MP was expected to say, in part, when opening the meeting, according to a UK government press release. «The UK government backs this policy, and we will play our full part in its success to bolster Ukraine’s immediate fight and to support our own and wider European security.»

TRUMP SAYS US WILL SEND PATRIOT MISSILES TO UKRAINE, ADDS THAT PUTIN ‘TALKS NICE AND THEN HE BOMBS EVERYBODY’

An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone and missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 21, 2025.  (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

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Russia’s Defense Ministry indicated that its forces downed 74 Ukrainian drones overnight, The Associated Press reported.