Trump raises possibility of 'quick second meeting' with Zelenskyy, Putin in Alaska
"I think President Putin will make peace, I think President Zelenskyy will make peace," Trump told reporters at the White House."We'll see if they get along," he added.POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES IF CEASEFIRE FAILSTrump warned that 'very severe consequences' could follow if Russia failed to commit to a ceasefire during the talks. However, he did not reveal the detailed nature of these consequences.Despite the looming threat of punitive measures, Trump tempered expectations, downplaying the chances of a ceasefire emerging from Friday's summit. Instead, he hinted that a subsequent meeting -- potentially including Ukraine -- would be crucial to reaching a long-term resolution."I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don't know that," Trump said.The announcement comes as Ukrainian President Zelensky and his European allies have intensified efforts this week to ensure any deal emerging from the US-Russia summit does not compromise Ukraine's security.They are wary of agreements that could leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks and have signalled that a robust negotiation process must include Kyiv at every stage.PUTIN PRAISES US PEACE EFFORTSMeanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Trump's efforts, describing the US administration's approach as "quite energetic and sincere" in order to halt hostilities. In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin said the Trump team was striving to "reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved."Putin also suggested that long-term peace between Russia, the US, Europe, and the broader world could be achieved through agreements on nuclear arms control.- EndsWith inputs from agencies Must Watch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
6 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump, China, and the future of the rules-based international order
The United Nations (UN) was formed in 1945, to avoid wars of the scale of the two World Wars, which caused widespread, death, destruction and miseries. However, neither were the two World Wars the first wars, nor have they been the last ones. The Thirty Years War, and the Eighty Years Wars in Europe were previous wars and were more protracted in nature, running over decades, causing more destruction. The queer part is that all these wars were in Europe, albeit Asia witnessed its own share of miseries, as an imperial Japan unleashed death and destruction in its hunger for power and territories, in the years leading up to World War II. China became one of the first to bear the onslaught. Donald Trump (Bloomberg) The odd part about the 21st century is that there again is an ongoing war in Europe, economies are again feeling the heat, people are again dying, and there is an unfolding conflict in Asia as well just like it was preceding World War II. The only difference this time is that China is not at the receiving end, but others ranging from India to Taiwan, to the Philippines are at the receiving end of China's hunger for power and territories! The UN continues to exist, even though the numbers of conflicts and wars has only increased since 1945, in addition to the formats they are fought in having undergone severe changes. The UN also was not the only such organisation that was created to prevent wars; it was preceded by the League of Nations, which failed to prevent World War II. The US was not a member of the League of Nations, as it chose not to be part of it. Similar to the bygone era, today, another important country is not a part of the UN or of other important international organisations- namely Taiwan. While the US had chosen to stay out of the League of Nations, Taiwan is not part of the UN because China claims it as part of its territory. What is clear from the bygone era and today is that the desire for territory remains supreme in states. However, what has now emerged as a peculiarity of the 21st century is the role played by the hegemon or the leading actor of the international system- the US. While the Soviet Union and the US after World War II fought a Cold War in desires of being the hegemon, the US which today is the hegemon, shows no signs of continuing with the responsibilities of the hegemon. Under Donald Trump's second term, what has now emerged is a strained rules-based international order, wherein the US acts as a revisionist State. While China, as the second largest power of the international system has been understood so far as the revisionist actor, which wants the international system modelled as per its power perceptions, under Trump 2.0, it appears that the U.S. itself no longer wants a rules-based international order to remain- which it has deep stakes in to begin with. The rules-based international order is centred on not just the UN, but also on international law, but this now faces challenges from both China and Trump led US China's actions such as rejecting the rulings of the Hague Tribunal on the South China Sea, bullying Taiwan militarily, and asserting regional dominance and unleashing military aggression against India or the Philippines, all undermine the global norms of sovereignty and legal accountability. Trump's so-called America First policies, including withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, imposing tariffs without a logical basis, destabilise the legal basis of institutions like the World Trade Organization. The thin line between malicious trade and economic policies from China and the U.S. now stands blurred. Additionally, Trump's reduced UN funding, his alignment with Russia against resolutions all weaken the UN's authority. In 2025 for example, the US sided twice with Russia in votes at the UN to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Similarly, China's push for alternative governance models, emphasising state sovereignty over universal human rights, also erode the UN's rights framework. While there already has been no accountability for the Covid-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan in China, Trump's dismissive stance on the World Health Organization signals a retreat from a cooperative global framework. As witnessed in 2025, both- the US and China take a might makes right approach. China's military and economic coercion and Trump's unilateralism challenge the very basis of the UN's principles. This dual pressure risks fragmenting the international order and pushing it to further chaos. Collectively, the actions of the U.S. and China threaten the post-World War II framework, leading it to power-driven geopolitics. Trump's policies signal an intent to form a G-2 with China, and examples included Trump's rollback of the previous US policies to restrict chips export to China, Trump's withholding the imminent ban of TikTok, his pause of the tariffs that were to take effect against China, his targeting of India as the second largest importer of Russian oil, while staying silent on China, while the US continues its humungous purchases of fertilisers from Russia- all signal the US intent to destroy the rules-based world order. However, a cursory glance at history also shows that paradigm shifts take place only in times of duress. The extreme strain that the international order now faces will either lead it to crumble and newer and worse wars will emerge, or a third actor, which has the credibility which both the US and China now lack, will emerge, or a new type of multipolarity and power configuration will emerge. History does repeat itself, and learning from it and tweaking it to current conditions will be the mantra forward. This article is authored by Sriparna Pathak, professor, China Studies and International Relations, Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat.
Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
PM Narendra Modi vows to protect farmers amid trade tensions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed for greater self-reliance, local manufacturing of everything, from fertilisers to EV batteries, and pledged to protect farmers amid trade tensions with the US, delivering his 13th straight Independence Day address on Friday. A large majority of Indian agriculturists are small land-owners, tending to tiny parcels of farmland. (PTI photo) 'Farmers, fishermen, cattle rearers are our top priorities', Modi said in his customary address at the Red Fort in New Delhi, soon after hoisting the Tricolour under a cloudy, monsoon sky in New Delhi. 'Modi will stand like a wall against any policy that threatens their interests. India will never compromise when it comes to protecting the interests of our farmers,' he said. India will never compromise the interests of its farmers because agriculturists of the country have made the country self-sufficient, Modi said in a sweeping speech, underscoring the fifth-largest economy's stand on not opening up the farm sector during the US-India trade talks. Also Read: Modi outlines vision centered around self-reliance, defence, pledges simpler GST The PM said the country needed to achieve self-sufficiency in energy, critical minerals, technology and weaponry, underscoring the need to build high quality goods even as 'economic selfishness rises by the day'. Linking local production with national pride, Modi said, 'The yardstick of a nation to measure its self-esteem is to see to what extent it is self-reliant,' Modi said. 'Everybody knows that after we gained freedom, feeding millions was a great challenge. It was my farmers who toiled to fill our silos with grains. Modi stands like a wall, won't compromise on farmers.' A large majority of Indian agriculturists are small land-owners, tending to tiny parcels of farmland. The farm sector supports nearly half of the nation's population and agriculture accounts for nearly 18% of India's GDP, which explains the country's continued protectionism. The focus on the economy comes against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 50% tariff rate on India, much higher than its neighbours and peers, which disadvantages exports and could hurt nearly one per cent of the nation's gross domestic product, according to some analysts. 'The need of the hour is to take a resolve for building a strong India ... I want our traders, shopkeepers to display boards for swadeshi (India-made) products,' Modi said. Modi said that agriculture remains the cornerstone of India's development, with the country being no. 1 in milk, pulses and jute production, and no 2 in rice, wheat, cotton, fruits and vegetables. Farm exports have crossed ₹4 lakh crore, reflecting the nation's global competitiveness, he said adding, to further empower farmers, the government launched the PM Dhanya Dhanya Krishi Yojana for 100 backward farming districts, complementing ongoing support through PM-Kisan and irrigation schemes etc. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on all Indian goods entering the US, making good on his threat to penalise New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil. The additional 25%, due to take effect on August 27, puts India at par with Brazil as the two countries whose exports will face the highest levy of 50% on their goods. The duties would put Indian exporters at a significant disadvantage compared to their rivals in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam – which face tariffs of between 19% and 20% . India has called the American actions 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable' and said it will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests, India and the US failed to hammer out a bilateral trade pact after several rounds of negotiations, despite Trump's hint in the middle of the talks that a 'big deal' was imminent. India's refusal to open up its farm, fishery and dairy sectors was one of the main sticking points.
Time of India
7 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump tariffs: Small businesses in America need to pay an extra $202 billion a year
Bloomberg Live Events Bloomberg The economic policies passed in the first six months of President Donald Trump 's term may yet bring a Golden Age, but so far they haven't for small farms and businesses. According to an estimate by the right-leaning US Chamber of Commerce, Trump's levies mean that small businesses will have to pay an extra $202 billion a year on tariffs, which works out to about $856,000 per company on optimism soared on Trump's victory and plunged when he announced tariffs; the right-leaning NFIB Small Business Optimism Index has recovered somewhat since 'Liberation Day' but has yet to reach the heights of Trump's first term in office, and response rates to the survey have fallen, suggesting some business owners may be too busy struggling to remain solvent to complete surveys. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index has declined for two months in a with large companies, smaller enterprises are struggling to wait out the vicissitudes of Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs. Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told me recently that he is already seeing the impact across his state on small businesses, small farms and consumers alike. 'We're all paying a hidden tax in the form of widespread tariffs,' he said. 'Look, it's not just me saying this. If Andy Beshear, [former GOP Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell and [GOP Senator] Rand Paul are all saying this is a bad idea, it's because it's a really bad idea.'Companies with fewer than 500 employees contribute 43.5% of the nation's gross domestic product. Small family farms still constitute 86% of all farms, according to federal data. But they lack the leverage and resources of larger enterprises and can find themselves at the mercy of forces over which they have little influence.'They're what economists call 'price-takers,'' Louis Johnston, an economist and professor at St. John's University in Minnesota told me. 'It means you accept the world as it is. You don't have enough power to affect prices and you don't have much wiggle room on wages. You're stuck.' Big businesses, he said, are price-makers. 'They can eat some costs , pass some to consumers, reduce stockholder dividends or shave a bit off wages,' he said. 'If you're small, all you can do is take the hit.'Investors agree, and publicly traded small companies have seen their stocks become less attractive since Trump unveiled his tariff agenda on 'Liberation Day' in in Congress seem unwilling to place the slightest restraint on a president convinced of his infallibility on companies are finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of absorbing the increased costs of tariffs, according to Scott Lincicome, director of general economics and trade studies at the Cato Institute. That's not sustainable, especially for smaller businesses, and Lincicome is projecting higher consumer prices this fall. Even before its most recent estimate of tariff costs, the Chamber of Commerce had rung the alarm in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that warned 'small businesses could suffer irreparable harm' from tariffs. 'The Chamber is hearing from small-business owners every day who are seeing their ability to survive endangered by the recent increase in tariff rates.'The GOP tax bill does grant some benefits to small businesses, such as a permanent extension on deductions. Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, told me that those benefits may become a lifeline. 'It would have put a lot of small businesses out of business if those provisions had not happened,' he a longtime Republican, remembers when his party saw free enterprise as an article of faith. He also recalls that the free-trade era carried its own challenges, particularly for smaller businesses that 'didn't always get a fair shake.' Loon believes that targeted tariffs, skillfully applied, 'can be incredibly beneficial.' Trump's broad-based approach 'has created great uncertainty among our businesses. And that is where disparities can occur.'Trump portrays tariffs as free money paid by countries that have 'ripped off' America . His new levies have already begun sending billions to the US Treasury. But the reality is that tariffs are a hidden tax mostly borne by US companies and consumers. According to Goldman Sachs data, US consumers have paid 22% of the cost of Trump's tariffs. Only 14% of the cost has been borne by foreign other 64%? Eaten by American businesses Trump has reset the table on trade. Unfortunately, in his hands, tariffs are a blunt instrument used to punish enemies, reward friends and bully other nations. He substitutes threats and intimidation for negotiations and diplomacy. The deals, such as they are, remain vague, with details often disputed by trading was just seven months ago that the International Monetary Fund declared the US economy would continue to lead the world in 2025. IMF officials said the US was growing at a faster clip than its economic competitors, with more productive workers and a more welcoming business environment, leaving Trump and the GOP well positioned to capitalize politically on those economic several key economic indicators are pointing in the wrong direction — a scenario largely of Trump's own making. Businesses are struggling to adapt to his ever-shifting landscape of tariffs. Farmers are getting clobbered by higher inputs and they've lost markets thanks to an administration that ended foreign food aid and cut nutrition the president brags about the revenue tariffs are bringing, as if everyone didn't already know who is really footing the bill.
