New York: Amid signs of progress towards a Ukraine War ceasefire, US President Donald Trump has announced a path-breaking summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin next Friday, a meeting on which the future of the 25 per cent punitive tariff on India for buying Russian oil may hinge.
Crowning three days of fast developments, Trump announced on Truth Social on Friday, “The highly anticipated meeting between myself and Putin will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska”.
“Further details to follow.”, he said in the Truth Social post.
It was a quick turnaround because Trump had said on Thursday that he was “very disappointed” with Putin, even as he spoke of progress in discussions with him.
While speaking to reporters before the summit announcement, Trump said, “President Putin, I believe, wants to see peace, and [Ukraine’s President] Zelensky wants to see peace now”.
“I think that a lot of things happened recently that would make this go forward”, he said. “I’m not going to mention anything having to do with India”, alluding to the punitive tariff.
On Wednesday, he singled out India for the punitive tariff of 25 per cent for buying Russian oil, and this was seen as a ploy to put economic pressure on Moscow by getting New Delhi to cut off oil revenue to Moscow.
Preparing for the summit, Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to brief him about the discussions he had with the US on Ukraine.
The Kremlin Press Office readout of their conversation said, “In light of the special privileged partnership between Russia and India, Vladimir Putin shared the key outcomes of his meeting with US President’s Special Envoy Steven Witkoff”.
India’s External Affairs Ministry said, “While thanking President Putin for his detailed assessment, Prime Minister reiterated India’s consistent position for peaceful resolution of the conflict”.
Friday was the deadline Trump had set for imposing more sanctions on Moscow, and secondary tariffs – punitive levies on exports – on countries that buy energy from Russia.
With the summit on the way, he did not follow through, although the separate 25 per cent punitive tariff still hangs over India with an August 27 deadline.
Kremlin Spokesperson Yury Ushakov confirmed the meeting and said that “Russia and the US are close neighbors” and “it seems quite logical that such an important and long-awaited summit between the leaders of the two countries should be held there”.
Alaska is about 90 km from Russia, separated by the Bering Straits.
Witcoff’s meeting with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday laid the groundwork for the summit.
Trump said, “We had some very good talks with President Putin” and there was “a very good chance” peace was around the corner.
Speaking to the media on Friday about a possible deal, he said, “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both”.
While a ceasefire may come soon, a settlement would be complicated because Ukraine has maintained that its territory is inviolable.
And as the head of a democracy, Zelensky has to get his country behind him after three years of war of huge casualties and destruction.
Trump acknowledged this and said Zelensky is “working hard” to get everything he needs “to sign something”.
Besides the territorial issues, there is also Putin’s demand that Ukraine never join NATO, and Zelensky’s for a guarantee from the US or NATO that Russia does not resume the war.
–IANS
