Tariffs trigger chain reaction to halt imports
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration’s steel and aluminum tariffs are provoking a chain reaction, as governments from Europe to Canada prepare to erect barriers to prevent cheap metal once bound for the U.S. from entering their markets.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada announced regulatory changes that would make it easier for border officials to block steel and aluminum imports into that nation. The European Union has begun a “safeguard investigation” that could result in tariffs or other trade actions if it determines that steel intended for the U.S. market is being diverted to the bloc.
Foreign policymakers have long shared President Donald Trump’s concerns about cheap foreign steel flooding their markets, particularly from China. But Mr. Trump’s 25 percent steel tariffs and 10 percent aluminum tariffs, which will halt the flow of foreign metals into the U.S., have prompted other countries to move to curtail overseas imports.
Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University, said that while Mr. Trump’s approach appeared to be bearing fruit in the short term, it could ultimately hurt the trust of U.S. trading partners and hamper the economy.
Haley blames Russia
WASHINGTON— The U.S. on Tuesday condemned the forced surrender of one of the last rebel-held enclaves in Syria and accused Syrian government forces of using a U.N.-backed ceasefire to accomplish it.
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, blamed Russia for supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad and playing a “central role in the bombing of Syrian civilians into submission.”
Ms. Haley, speaking at a special session of the U.N. Security Council, also lashed out at her fellow members of the organization, saying they had failed to call out Russia and Syria’s other key ally, Iran. She was reacting to reports that eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, had all but fallen to government forces, and thousands of civilians were being forced to flee.
Poland to buy missiles
WARSAW, Poland — Poland says it will sign a deal Wednesday to buy U.S. air defense Patriot missile systems as it seeks to bolster its defenses against a resurgent Russia.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the first Patriot systems will come to Poland in 2022 and the following ones in 2024. He did not specify their number or cost.
He said the deal lays ground for arms cooperation with the U.S. as well as for the modernization of Poland’s defense industry.
More Russians expelled
BRUSSELS — Twentyseven countries , including the U.S., have announced plans to toss out Russian diplomats in an unusually coordinated response to a nerveagent attack in England that targeted a Russian ex-spy and his daughter.
Affecting at least 151 people, it is the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War and unprecedented in scale and scope. In Europe, even countries that normally pursue Russia friendly policies, such as Hungary and Italy, joined the action as a sign of solidarity with Britain, a marker of just how disturbing they found the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. Britain has pinned the blame squarely on the Russian government.
Russian leaders have said they will respond to the expulsions, although they have not announced specific plans.