Donald Trump will meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for a high-stakes summit that could end the Russia-Ukraine war and change the dynamics between Washington and Moscow. While the whole world is alle eyes on the upcoming meeting, India, too, is keeping a close watch on what unfolds thousands of kilometers in the US frontier state.
The meeting gives Trump an opportunity to present himself as both a master dealmaker and a global peacemaker. He and his allies have portrayed him as a heavyweight negotiator capable of finding a path to end the bloodshed, something he has often claimed he could achieve swiftly.
Trump-Putin meeting: What's the agenda and its importance
For Putin, the summit offers a long-sought chance to pursue a deal that would secure Russia's territorial gains, block Ukraine’s entry into NATO, and ultimately draw Kyiv back into Moscow’s sphere of influence.
However, the stakes are high for Trump also. Hosting Putin on US soil grants the Russian leader the international validation he has sought since being sidelined over his invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The absence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the talks undermines the West’s "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" stance and raises concerns that Trump might agree to terms that Kyiv would reject.
Howver, chances of a breakthrough remain uncertain. Russia and Ukraine are still far apart in their conditions for peace, with Putin resisting a temporary ceasefire unless Western arms deliveries are halted and Ukraine’s mobilisation is frozen, demands rejected by Kyiv and its allies.
Trump has said that even more critical than his meeting with Putin would be a follow-up session involving Zelenskyy, which he suggested could take place before he leaves Alaska. Russia has not yet agreed to this meeting.
In a Fox News radio interview on Thursday, Trump said he was unsure if an “immediate ceasefire” could be reached but emphasised his desire for a swift, broad peace agreement. His comments echoed Putin’s long-standing position that Moscow favours a comprehensive settlement on its own terms, rather than a temporary pause in hostilities.
Why India is keeping close watch on Trump-Putin meeting
The Trump-Putin summit could also help ease tensions between India and the United States in the wake of additional 50 per cent tariffs imposed by Trump on India imports, citing New Delhi's continued purchase of Russia crude oil, which Trump claims is helping Putin fuel his war in Ukraine.
India has strongly rejected the move, calling the tariffs “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.” New Delhi has emphasised that before the war, it imported only a small share of its crude from Russia and began increasing purchases with US encouragement, a strategy that also helped keep global oil prices stable. It has also highlighted what it sees as Western hypocrisy, noting that both the United States and Europe have continued trading with Russia.
India has made clear that it will put its national interest first and will continue to act accordingly. The Kremlin has backed this position, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating, “Sovereign countries should have and do have the right to choose their own trading partners.”
A silver lining came in easing the India-US tariff row in Trump's remarks on Thursday, just a day before the Alaska event. In an interview with Fox News, the US president said the extra levies on India might have played a big role in Putin agreeing to meet him.
This holds value given the long-standing diplomatic relations Russia has had with India and that the fact that if Putin agreed to meet Trump over India trariffs, he might as well be able to negotiate a rollback of the same levies from Washington.
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Trump claims India's oil tariffs prompted Russia to initiate talks ahead of Alaska summit with Putin |
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Trump warns Putin of 'very severe consequences' if Russia does not halt Ukraine war |
