‘Not an era of war’: India welcomes US-Russia meet in Alaska; calls it step toward ending Ukraine conflict | India News

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday welcomed the agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a summit in Alaska on August 15, 2025, describing it as a possible breakthrough in ending the war in Ukraine.“India welcomes the understanding reached between the United States and the Russian Federation for a meeting in Alaska on 15th August 2025. 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,” the ministry of external affairs said in a statement released on Saturday.“India, therefore, endorses the upcoming Summit meeting and stands ready to support these efforts,” it further added.The statement comes as Trump imposed 50% tariff on India, accusing it of supporting Moscow’s ‘war machine’ against Ukraine by buying Russian oil.US had earlier announced 25% additional duties on Indian imports in the country, on the top of an already 25% tariff, taking the total to 50%. The order specified that “The ad valorem duty imposed…shall be in addition to any other duties, fees, taxes, exactions, and charges applicable to such imports…” The implementation timeline shows the base duty taking effect from August 7, whilst the additional charge begins from August 27, following a 21-day period.The order said, “I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil. Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25%.”US President Donald Trump will be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, in an effort to negotiate a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and has seen numerous failed rounds of talks. It will be Putin’s first visit to the United States in a decade, his last being in 2015 for the UN General Assembly in New York. For Trump, the meeting marks his most direct attempt yet to fulfil his campaign pledge to end the war “within 24 hours,” a promise that has faced repeated setbacks despite phone calls, peace talks and diplomatic visits. The choice of Alaska is has symbolic importance as Russia sold the territory to the US in 1867, and its western tip sits just across the Bering Strait from Russia’s easternmost point. The Kremlin confirmed the meeting after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow. During his visit, Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but Russia did not respond to the idea. “The Russian side left this option completely without comment,” Kremlin spokesperson Ushkov said. Earlier, Trump had told reporters he would likely meet Putin face-to-face “very soon.” His efforts to halt Russia’s military offensive have so far yielded little progress, with three rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv ending without a breakthrough.