India on Saturday welcomed the forthcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for August 15 in Alaska, expressing optimism that it could contribute to ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “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.”
Trump announced the “highly anticipated meeting” on Truth Social, noting that it would take place next Friday in the “Great State of Alaska,” with more details to be shared later. This will mark Putin’s first visit to the United States since 2015, when he met then-President Barack Obama, and the first US-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden held talks with Putin in Geneva.
Speaking at the White House during the signing of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace accord, Trump hinted that a potential settlement between Ukraine and Russia could involve a territorial exchange. “We’re going to get some back, and we’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” he told reporters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly rejected the idea of ceding any territory, stating, “The answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already in the constitution of Ukraine. No one will and no one can deviate from it. Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.” He further warned that any agreement excluding Kyiv would be a “dead solution” that would “never work.”
The summit announcement comes shortly after Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India over its imports of Russian oil, adding a complex layer to diplomatic relations ahead of the high-profile meeting.
