New Delhi: India has welcomed the agreement between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting in Alaska on 15 August, at a time when New Delhi is pushing back at Washington over the additional tariffs imposed on it for continued purchase of Russian oil.
“This meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said on several occasions, ‘This is not an era of war,’” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement Saturday.
“India, therefore, endorses the upcoming summit meeting and stands ready to support these efforts,” he added.
This also comes a day after Putin had a telephone conversation with PM Modi, who reiterated New Delhi’s “consistent” position for a “peaceful resolution of the conflict”.
Statement by Official Spokesperson⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/22vVtFYFOh pic.twitter.com/zWvhRSRlhp
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 9, 2025
Earlier in the day, Trump announced the meeting with Putin in Alaska, while speaking to the press. The American President was hosting the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia at a peace summit that saw the two nations announce a joint declaration “initialing” an agreed text for peace. Yerevan and Baku have been locked in conflict since gaining independence from the USSR in 1991.
Trump also suggested that he may be open to pushing Ukraine to cede territories to Russia to ensure peace returns in the almost four-year long war between the two countries. The meeting between Trump and Putin would be the first between American and Russian leaders since 2021.
Western leaders have largely refused to communicate directly with Putin since Moscow started the current phase of open warfare with Kyiv in February 2022. A summit between Trump and Putin is likely seen as a victory within the Kremlin.
However, Kyiv rejected ceding any territory to Russia in a strong statement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Saturday.
“Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace. Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not achieve anything. These are stillborn decisions. They are unworkable decisions. And we all need real and genuine peace. Peace that people will respect,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on X.
The American President has in recent weeks been frustrated with the inability to persuade Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire. Trump promised to end the war within 24 hours of assuming the presidency, while on the campaign trail last year.
However, all efforts including a partial ceasefire, Trump had negotiated with Putin and Zelenskyy have so far failed. The American President, in the early months of the year attempted to compel Ukraine to come to the peace table. In February, Trump and Zelenskyy held a contentious bilateral meeting at the White House, which led to a shouting match between the Ukrainian President and American Vice President J.D. Vance.
In recent weeks, Trump has shown his ire with Russia by looking to impose penalties on countries continuing to trade with Moscow, including India. On 6 August, Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on India over purchase of Russian oil. These penalties were imposed above an already existing 25 percent tariff, raising the total levies imposed on India to 50 per cent.
Vinay Kwatra, the Indian ambassador to the US Saturday spoke to Senator Lindsey Graham on India’s energy security priorities as well as its interest in purchasing more energy from America, in an attempt to defuse tensions between New Delhi and Washington DC. Graham has been one of the most outspoken politicians in the US against India’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
Zelenskyy received support from a number of European leaders Saturday, holding conversations with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the Ukrainian President as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Saturday. The French President declared that Kyiv’s future “cannot be decided without the Ukrainians.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)