More than a dozen countries stand in the crosshairs of Trump's threat to impose 100% tariffs over their economic ties to Russia.

President Donald Trump on July 14 announced the U.S. would impose "severe tariffs" on Russia unless Moscow agrees to a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, but experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent say the plan is deeply flawed.

Turkey’s decision to purchase Russia's S-400 air defense system has sparked international controversy and raised questions about its position within NATO. The S-400, capable of targeting everything from ballistic missiles to stealth bombers,

Trump a day earlier gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal with Ukraine, voicing fresh frustration with Moscow as he laid out an arrangement with NATO to supply Kyiv with new military aid sponsored by the alliance’s members.

Recent arrests of each other's citizens by Russia and Azerbaijan could trigger a conflict that sucks in Armenia, Turkey, Iran, Israel and Central Asia

President Trump counselled Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to take the war to Russia and asked whether Kyiv was able to hit Moscow and St Petersburg, according to a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the exchange.

Lucy and Vitaly answer all that, and consider the delicate diplomatic balance Turkey is attempting to strike during this conflict, alongside the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko.

A rift has developed between Russia and Azerbaijan, which have had long political, economic and cultural ties.

Azerbaijan has been pushing back against Russian dominance in the Caucasus region, seeking closer ties with Turkey and Israel.

Once strategic partners in the post-Soviet order, Russia and Azerbaijan are drifting into open hostility. From diplomatic snubs to deaths in custody and geopolitical realignments, ties between Moscow and Baku are under unprecedented strain.