The explanation given by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to the US outlet Axios was that existing sanctions "preclude any meaningful trade" with Russia. But the numbers don't quite back that up. It's certainly true that US-Russia trade isn't what it was. The war in Ukraine has seen it plummet from $35bn (£26.6bn) in 2021 to $3.5bn (£2.6bn) in 2024. Latest: Stock markets tumble after Trump's tariffs But last year's figure was still higher than Washington's trade volume with Kyiv ($2.9bn, £2.2bn), and that didn't stop Ukraine from being slapped with 10% levies. It's also considerably more than what the US traded with the likes of Brunei ($366m, £278m) and Mauritius ($282.5m, £214.9m) - another two nations which didn't escape the punitive measures. What's more, from Donald Trump's point of view, the vast majority of US-Russia trade is flowing in the wrong direction, i.e. into America. Of that, $3.5bn (£2.6bn) in 2024, $3bn (£2.2bn) were Russian imports, like fertiliser and aluminium, giving a deficit that's much worse (proportionally speaking) than several of those on the naughty list. So what's behind Russia's exemption? 👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 Many say it smacks of further favouritism towards the Kremlin. "I hope the American people get an explanation for this. I find it outrageous," Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, wrote on X. Donald Trump has been lambasted by critics for not being tough enough on Vladimir Putin as he pushes for a peace deal in Ukraine. He did recently threaten to impose secondary sanctions on Russian oil if Moscow blocked a ceasefire, but this latest softball makes those threats sound increasingly hollow. His tariff announcement also coincided with a visit to Washington by Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who is the highest-ranking Russian official to travel to the US on state business since Moscow's invasion. 👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne's on your podcast app👈 The former Goldman Sachs banker, who is head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, is meeting US officials, including Steve Witkoff. Was the timing of his trip a coincidence? Or a reminder to Team Trump of what's at stake? Moscow has made it abundantly clear to Washington that there are lucrative deals to be done should relations continue to thaw. It's not hard to see how new levies could derail that. Read more from Sky News:How will Trump's tariffs affect the UK?Analysis: Tariffs are more than economicsDo the tariffs add up? There is an alternative view - that it's all part of Donald Trump's famous negotiating strategy. Hold something back to use with greater effect down the line. "One of the reasons why Russia is not on Trump's tariff list yesterday is that tariffs should be left as a tool for forcing Russia to peace," Alexander Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, wrote on Telegram. "If they are introduced now, what will they threaten in a week?" Well, there's an answer to that - more sanctions. For now, though, it seems the US is content to cosy up to the Kremlin rather than coerce it. The question is, who is calling the shots?

The US singer said the songs, written and re-recorded between 1983 and 2018, were being made public after he began completing "everything I had in my vault" during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a short video posted on Instagram, Springsteen said the albums were "records that were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed and not released". The 83-song collection is being released in a box set called Tracks II: The Lost Albums and goes on sale on 27 June. Some 74 of the tracks have never been heard before. The 75-year-old first teased the release on Wednesday morning with a short social media video accompanied by text which said: "What was lost has been found". Tracks II is the follow-up to the star's first Tracks volume, a four-CD collection of 66 unreleased songs, released in 1998. The New Jersey-born rocker, nicknamed The Boss, last released a studio album in 2022. Only the Strong Survive was a collection of covers, including songs by Motown and soul artists, such as the Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Frankie Wilson and Jimmy Ruffin. The late soul legend Sam Moore, who died in January and was a frequent Springsteen collaborator, sang on two of the tracks. Read more from Sky News:Tributes to 'genius' KilmerPenguin island facing tariffsRichest billionaires named Springsteen is coming to the UK in May to launch a two-month tour of Europe with his E Street Band. The shows will include performances at the Co-op Live in Manchester and Liverpool's Anfield stadium. The singer-songwriter has sold more than 140 million records since his debut on the music scene in 1973, according to his website.

The prime minister told business chiefs at an early morning meeting in Downing Street: "Last night the president of the United States acted for his country, and that is his mandate. "Today, I will act in Britain's interests with mine." Politics latest: Starmer says UK will react to tariffs with 'cool and calm head' Mr Trump announced sweeping tariffs on countries around the world, with the UK getting off relatively lightly with 10% tariffs - branded "kind reciprocal" by the president - compared with China, which will have to pay 54% tariffs and 20% for the EU. A previously announced 25% tariff on British car imports to the US came into effect at 5am on Thursday. Sir Keir said the government is moving "to the next stage of our plan" after negotiations failed to fend off any tariffs ahead of Wednesday's announcement. He promised any decisions "will be guided only by our national interest, in the interests of our economy, in the interests of businesses around this table, in the interests of putting money in the pockets of working people". "Clearly, there will be an economic impact from the decisions the US has taken, both here and globally," he told the business leaders. "But I want to be crystal clear: we are prepared, indeed one of the great strengths of this nation is our ability to keep a cool head." Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the Commons on Thursday the government is considering retaliatory measures and requested British businesses let him know what the tariff implications will be for them. An "indicative list of potential products" that could be targeted was later published, with 8,364 categories covering about 27% of UK imports from the US. Earlier, Mr Reynolds told Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast his "job is not done" when it comes to negotiating a trade deal Mr Reynolds refused to say if the tariffs might cause a global recession and said the UK has safeguards in place to ensure it is not flooded with goods that would have gone to other countries. "We'll take any powers we need to protect the British people and the British economy from that," he said. "What we have directly within our power, alongside that is, of course, the ability to negotiate a better deal in the national interest for the UK. That's been our approach to date and we'll continue with that." Read more:World reacts to Trump's tariff announcementTariffs will have consequences for globalisation, the US economy and geopoliticsTrump's tariffs explained UK will be template for other nations' deals The business secretary also suggested if the UK is successful in negotiating a deal with the US "there'll be a template there" for other countries to "resolve some of these issues". He reiterated statements he and the PM have made over the past few days as he said: "America is a friend, America's our principal ally. "Our relationship is an incredibly strong economic one, but also a security one, a political one as well." Government 'very slow' to start talks Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Sky News the government had been "very slow" to start negotiating a free trade agreement with the US, and they should have started when Mr Trump was elected in November, even though he did not get sworn in until the end of January. He said the UK being hit by a lower tariff than the EU was "one of the benefits of Brexit". However, he said the 25% tariff on car exports to the US is "very, very serious" and the global impact is "bad news for our economy".

The centre-back, who has been one of Arsenal's most key players this season, suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of Tuesday's Premier League win over Fulham, which will require surgery. Arsenal have said the 27-year-old's aim is "to be ready for the start of next season" in a big blow ahead of a potentially season-defining Champions League tie. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Arsenal news & transfers🔴⚪Arsenal fixtures & scores | FREE Arsenal PL highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Arsenal games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 Mikel Arteta's side take on Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final at the Emirates on April 8, before the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16. Arsenal were boosted by the return of Bukayo Saka against Fulham, but they are facing a potential injury crisis in defence ahead of next week's first leg against Real Madrid. Jurrien Timber was also hurt during Tuesday's game while Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori were already sidelined alongside season-long absentee Takehiro Tomiyasu. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal's first-choice striker options, are out for the season too. Analysis: Gabriel injury a nightmare for Arteta Sky Sports' Nick Wright: Gabriel's despondent demeanour as he made his way off the pitch against Fulham told a tale. He knew it was a serious injury and so it has proved. Arsenal's hamstring curse continues. He is their third player to have required surgery after tearing the muscle this term, after Bukayo Saka, who has only just returned from a three-month absence, and Kai Havertz, who is out for the season too. Gabriel's injury is every bit as big a blow as those losses. The Brazil international is vital to Arteta, his centre-back partnership with William Saliba is statistically the best in the Premier League. Gabriel has mostly been reliable in terms of his availability during his time at Arsenal but the side's record with and without him starting underlines his importance. The timing of his injury is a nightmare for Arteta with Real Madrid around the corner and defenders already missing. Jurrien Timber was also forced off against Fulham following a knock to his knee, while Ben White missed the game against Fulham with a niggle and Riccardo Calafiori is facing weeks out with a knee injury. Takehiro Tomiyasu's long-term absence means they are down five defenders in total. Gabriel is by far the most important of them. An outstanding defender and a deadly goal threat at set-pieces, the 27-year-old has also become a leader too. His warrior mentality, in addition to his many other qualities, will be a huge loss in the battle that lies ahead against Real Madrid. Arsenal's remaining fixtures April 5: Everton vs Arsenal - Premier League April 8: Arsenal vs Real Madrid - Champions League QF first leg April 12: Arsenal vs Brentford - Premier League, live on Sky Sports April 16: Real Madrid vs Arsenal - Champions League QF second leg April 20: Ipswich vs Arsenal - Premier League, live on Sky Sports April 23: Arsenal vs Crystal - Premier League, live on Sky Sports May 3: Arsenal vs Bournemouth - Premier League, live on Sky Sports May 11: Liverpool vs Arsenal - Premier League, live on Sky Sports May 18: Arsenal vs Newcastle - Premier League May 25: Southampton vs Arsenal - Premier League

The 38-year-old, who lived in Milton Keynes, was given first aid by officers but died at the scene after the incident on Tuesday. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has appealed for witnesses and confirmed its investigators collected a knife and other evidence from outside Milton Keynes railway station. The police watchdog said: "No other weapons were recovered from the scene. The police cordon at the scene was lifted last night (2 April). "We were advised by [Thames Valley Police] that firearms officers were sent to the station shortly before 1pm following a 999 call reporting that there was a man with a gun at the scene. "We have viewed police officers' body-worn video footage and a substantial amount of CCTV footage and established that at around 1.04pm the man was just outside the railway station main entrance with a knife in his hand, and ran towards the officers. "Shortly afterwards the man was shot at close range. We have established that a single shot was fired by one officer." Mr Joyce's next of kin has been informed and he was formally identified at a post-mortem examination on Thursday morning (3 April). Provisional cause of death is said to be a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. Read more from Sky News:Luton Airport expansion plans approvedMan admits killing boy after drugs lab blastHarry responds to Sentebale charity row IOPC: Community will want answers IOPC director Derrick Campbell said: "Our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident including the actions and decisions taken by the police. "We appreciate that this incident outside a busy train station will understandably cause concern. We know the community will want answers quickly and our investigators are working hard to establish the facts as we piece together what happened and how. "We have obtained details of some members of the public who witnessed the incident who we will be contacting, however we know there were many people near the station around the time of the shooting and we want to hear from anyone who may have seen the incident or has footage of it." 'Officers should be praised' Matthew Barber, police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, said he was "confident that the officers should be praised for their actions". On Tuesday, local residents told the PA news agency they saw a large number of police at the scene and one person "lying on the floor and they were trying to resuscitate him". Another woman added that they heard a "bang" and "quite a lot of commotion outside" but did not realise what had happened until she saw a man being given CPR.

His daughter Mercedes told the Associated Press he died of pneumonia on Tuesday night in Los Angeles surrounded by family and friends. California-born Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered, she said. The actor, who played Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise in 1986, previously admitted he didn't want the role which made him famous. But he said he begged to be part of the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, even going as far as contacting the producers and creating "heartrending scenes with Iceman". It would be his final acting role. Kilmer had a colourful romantic past, having dated Hollywood stars including Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Carly Simon and Cher. He starred in Willow in 1988 and married his British co-star Joanne Whalley. The couple had two children before they divorced in 1996. Kilmer portrayed Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors. He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann's 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone. Kilmer was one of the best-paid actors in the 1990s, and in 1992 film critic Roger Ebert wrote: "If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it." The actor made his film debut in the spy spoof Top Secret! in 1984 before appearing in the goofy comedy Real Genius in 1985 - a year before he rocketed to fame in Top Gun. 'I make no apologies' Over the years, Kilmer had numerous spats with directors and co-stars and gained a reputation for being temperamental, intense, a perfectionistic, and sometimes egotistical. In an interview in 2003, Kilmer said: "When certain people criticise me for being demanding, I think that's a cover for something they didn't do well. I think they're trying to protect themselves. "I believe I'm challenging, not demanding, and I make no apologies for that." Kilmer famously clashed with co-star Marlon Brando during the notoriously troubled production of "The Island of Dr. Moreau", which flopped in 1996. John Frankenheimer, who directed the movie, said afterwards that there were two things he would never do: "I will never climb Mount Everest and I will never work with Val Kilmer again. There isn't enough money in the world." Meanwhile, Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher once described Kilmer as "the most psychologically troubled human being I've ever worked with". The Chicago Tribune wrote in 1997 that Kilmer was "a member in good standing of Hollywood's bad boys club". Despite his many plaudits for his roles in critically-acclaimed movies, Kilmer was also nominated multiple times for worst actor in the annual Razzie awards, honouring the worst in cinema. 'You truly were an icon' In his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry, Kilmer discussed his throat cancer diagnosis and recovery. He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy that permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice. As well as the sequel to Top Gun, following his cancer diagnosis, Kilmer also starred in films including The Snowman in 2017 and Paydirt in 2020. Actor Josh Brolin wrote on Instagram: "See ya, pal. I'm going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There's not a lot left of those. "I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts." In an Instagram post, actor Josh Gad called Kilmer "an icon". He said: "RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon." Kilmer made his Broadway debut in the 1983 production of Slab Boys with Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon. He also appeared in Shakespeare plays in New York - playing the title role in Hamlet and appearing in Henry IV: Part One and As You Like It. In 2005, he starred on London's West End in Andrew Rattenbury's adaptation of The Postman Always Rings Twice at the Playhouse Theatre. Kilmer also enjoyed painting, with his website describing him as a "talented and prolific artist in a variety of mediums". Born in Los Angeles on 31 December 1959, Kilmer began acting in high school and became the youngest student accepted into the drama division of the famed Juilliard School in New York. Phillip Noyce, who directed him in "The Saint," told the Chicago Sun-Times in 1997 that Kilmer "is plagued by a bad image, but most of it is unjustified. The real Val Kilmer is a lamb. And he is the hardest-working actor I've ever seen".

More than 400 pages of thousands of goods that could be affected by reciprocal tariffs against the US. Everything from fresh domestic ducks to sea-going dredgers makes the cut; most symbolic, however, are iconic American items like jeans, motorcycles and whiskey. Would Donald Trump stand for a levy on Levi's? It's not the first time this battle has played out. When the US president announced tariffs on steel and aluminium in his first term, the EU responded with its own - including a symbolic 25% tax on American whiskey. At the time, the UK, then an EU member, followed suit. But as the UK tries to carve its own path outside the bloc, vindicated by the baseline 10% tariffs imposed instead of the EU's rate of 20%, the aim is to avoid retaliation. The government want us to know "all options are on the table" - but that is not how they want this to play out. "This is not a short-term tactical exercise," the prime minister said this morning. Despite the business secretary's best efforts during his recent trip to Washington to try to secure a UK tariffs carveout, no deal was reached in time. Mr Trump wanted his big bang, board brandishing moment; carveouts for certain countries would have softened the impact of his speech. But with 90-plus countries on the tariff billboard, how far along the queue is any UK deal? And how much are we willing to give? Will the sensitive subject of chlorinated chicken be on the table? What of the agreement to cut taxes on big tech companies that Mr Trump wants? Lots of questions. The day after the surreal night before is too soon to know all the answers, but this is about politics as much as it is about economics. Read more:There were no winners from Trump's tariff gameshowDo Trump's numbers on tariffs really add up? As the prime minister launched Labour's local election campaign in Derbyshire today, he talked about potholes, high streets and school meals. Every question I heard was about tariffs. Decisions made across the Atlantic are looming large. Tariffs may not directly sway many votes in the local elections, but the consequences for Rachel Reeves's fiscal headroom and the amount of money she has to spend, or save, will have an impact before too long.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke, who has been under pressure to drop the Frenchman, confirmed the news on Thursday. Meslier dropped the ball from Josh Tymon's corner just after the hour mark, with Swansea's Harry Darling on hand to fire home and punish his error. Zan Vipotnik's shot in the 96th minute then slipped under the goalkeeper's glove as the Welsh side came away with a draw that denied Leeds the chance to move level on points with Sheffield United at the top of the division. "I have taken my decision and spoken to the goalkeepers, Karl Darlow will play Saturday," he told the club's official website on Thursday. All you need to know - Streaming Sky Sports with NOW | Get Sky SportsDownload the Sky Sports App to watch every Sky Sports+ gameLive EFL on Sky Sports+ & how to watch | Get more EFL to your phone with WhatsApp "It's been important that we had clarity early in the week, so Karl could concentrate on this." Darlow, 34, has not played a league game for the club since December 29 2023. Speaking after the aforementioned draw, Farke refused to blame Meslier for his part in the result. "I'm far away from punishing a player [in Meslier] because we win together, lose together and draw together," he said. "After such a game and such a heartbreaking finish, they don't need a manager who puts the result on the shoulder of players. "It's a heartbreaking moment if you concede in this manner but it's football. If you want to take part in sport, you can't expect the sun to always be shining. "We've had great winners in the last minute and the opponent had to suffer the disappointment we had today - Sunderland and Sheffield United felt exactly the disappointment we do. You have to suffer a little bit, that's normal, but then we go again." Analysis: Does this make a rod for Farke's back? Sky Sports' David Prutton on the Sky Sports EFL Podcast: "It's a team game, but when a goalkeeper makes mistakes such as that, it's very, very tough. "The fact they allowed Swansea back into the game, so deep into the game, is one that has really set the cat among the pigeons among the Leeds fans. "On a human level, you've got to feel for him. It's not the first time. We saw the reaction of his team-mates, which is a natural reaction. We've all been in that position where you can't help yourself. "If the goalkeeper's not doing his job properly and allowing goals such as these in, there have got to be major questions asked. "I think there will be major questions asked, but does that then create a rod for Daniel Farke's back, where he takes him out and whoever steps in has to be flawless, completely flawless? Otherwise, it's not a justified decision to have been made."