Trump’s threats against Russia are a charade meant to buy Putin time

News Snapshot:

Russian president Vladimir Putin: Donald Trump’s threat of 100 per cent tariffs on Russia 'is all fantasy', says Prof Phillips Payson O’Brien. Photograph: Nanna Heitmann/The New York Times Donald Trump was going to end the Russo-Ukrainian war in 24 hours. Then it was two weeks, then 100 days, then two weeks again – several times – and now 50 days. Trump increasingly resembles Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland. Words mean whatever he wants them to mean – that is to say, nothing. Trump reversed the announced suspension of weapons transfers to Ukraine on July 14th, when he promised to...