About this episode Dive deep into the intricate world of global diplomacy with 'Power Moves,' your daily briefing on the forces reshaping international relations. We go beyond headlines to analyze the alliances, foreign policy shifts, and defense agreements that are truly altering the balance of power. Gain unparalleled insights into geopolitical rivalries and trade negotiations, delivered with the perspective of a seasoned foreign correspondent who has been in every room that mattered.
0:00 the us house of representatives just passed a sanctions bill against russia by a vote of 262 to 159 in our last briefing on global power shifts we talked about the quiet deals redrawing the map this move is the opposite of quiet it's a cannon shot and it gives president trump the authority to impose 100% tariffs on any0:25 country buying russian oil including china and india that vote in washington is the lead story but it's not the only one the kremlin immediately responded stating that these new sanctions will only complicate any path to a peace deal in ukraine at the same time russian drones struck southern ukraine killing five people a grim violent punctuation mark on0:49 the day's diplomacy ukrainian president zelenskyy for his part praised the american bill calling it a powerful tool to pressure russia back to the negotiation table meanwhile on the other side of the world a completely different kind of power play just took effect the european union and chile have activated a new trade agreement this isn't just about tariffs1:12 though it eliminates them on 99.9% of eu exports this is about critical raw materials it's about securing europe's access to the lithium and copper essential for the green transition it's a strategic partnership not a punishment so let's go back to washington let's get inside that sanctions bill the lindsey o'graham sanctioning russia and iran act of 2026 is1:36 now the most significant us action against moscow since trump returned to the presidency it passed the senate 86 to 11 before the house vote it's law on the surface it does what you'd expect it targets russia's energy and defense sectors and it specifically goes after the shadow fleet of oil tankers russia uses to evade existing sanctions it1:57 even names senior officials all the way up to vladimir putin but that's not the real weapon here the real weapon is the authority granted to the president this bill allows him to unilaterally impose customs duties of up to 100% on goods from countries that are major buyers of russian oil and gas think about that this isn't just2:19 a sanction on russia it's a loaded gun pointed at the heads of russia's biggest customers it's washington telling new delhi and beijing stop buying from moscow or your exports to the us could face a crippling tax the stated goal is to choke off the money funding the war in ukraine the unstated goal is to force a global2:40 economic realignment but here's the turn the bill is facing opposition not just from moscow but from inside the us some democrats fought against it gregory meeks a senior democrat on the house foreign affairs committee called it seriously flawed his argument the bill gives trump in his words broad powers to impose new import taxes on the american people3:07 without a clear obligation to actually use the sanctions against russia it's a blank check and they worry it could be used to harm us consumers and allies more than it harms the kremlin and what about the targets of this pressure campaign india's response was swift and clear they maintained that their energy procurement is driven by national interest3:27 and energy security that's diplomatic language for we will not bow to external pressure for india cheap energy is nonnegotiable they see this not as a noble effort to end a war but as washington interfering in their sovereign decisions this sets up a direct confrontation now contrast that with what the eu just did with chile it's a completely3:50 different philosophy of foreign policy while the us is wielding a club the eu is building a bridge this interim trade agreement is about creating resilient supply chains it's about cooperation on green hydrogen it's about shared goals for a net zero economy and it includes something you've never seen before in an eu trade deal a specific chapter on4:10 trade and gender this is about embedding values directly into economic policy for eu companies it means easier investment and access to government contracts in one of latin america's most stable economies for chile it means a powerful partner in its transition to a green economy but for the world it means europe is securing its future the lithium and4:31 copper from chile are not just commodities they are the building blocks of batteries wind turbines and electric vehicles by locking in a sustainable flow of these materials the eu is ensuring it won't be held hostage by other powers for the resources it needs to decarbonize it's a quiet long term move that may prove just as consequential as4:50 any sanction so you have two western powers two different strategies one is economic warfare designed to force immediate change through pain the other is economic partnership designed to build long term shared prosperity the american approach is loud confrontational and carries immense risk of backfiring the european approach is patient strategic and aims to bind allies closer the question5:16 is no longer just about how to pressure russia it's about which model of global influence will actually work
