Trump, Putin hold historic talks in Alaska as ceasefire in Ukraine tops agenda
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Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump reverses position on need for ceasefire before potential peace deal for ending Ukraine war
Day after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, United States President Donald Trump has shifted his position, now hinting towards an overall peace agreement as the next step for ending the war. The US President has now reversed course, suggesting that the countries should straightaway work towards a peace deal.(AP) Trump had earlier made it clear that a ceasefire should take place before a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. However, the US President has now reversed course, suggesting that the countries should straightaway work towards a peace deal for ending the the 3 ½ year war, the Associated Press reported. The US President seemed to have abandoned a ceasefire as a requirement for further negotiations, a line which aligns with Russian President Putin. Putin has on several occasions said that Moscow was not seeking a temporary truce but a long-term settlement. "…It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up, Trump said in a post on Truth Social after speaking to Zelensky and European leaders. Trump, in his talks with European allies following his summit with Putin, said that the Russian President had asserted that he wants the key Donetsk and Luhansk regions which make up the Donbas. Zelensky had earlier refused to giving the territory of Donbas. However, Putin seemed open to halting the stalemate in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, with a freeze along the front lines, AP reported, quoting European officials familiar with the calls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Following the meeting with Putin, Trump said in the press conference alongside the Russian President that he would 'call up NATO', European officials and hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting between Trump and Zelensky is scheduled at the White House for Monday. While the other details about the potential next steps remain unclear, Trump's reversal on the ceasefire aspect has been evident.
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump's Tariff Threat Tests India-US Relations
Published : Aug 16, 2025 19:25 IST - 6 MINS READ There is a distinct souring of sentiment in the narrative across India's 24-hour news channels. A news anchor opens her piece with a sarcastic diatribe on how, if only Trump were president of the USA in the past, so much could have been avoided through history; the First World War, the Second World War, all of it. The screen behind her displays an image of the US president with the text 'Earth is spinning better, thank Trump!'. The title of this video op-ed piece is 'Why Trump Should Never Win the Nobel Peace Prize'. It is a marked departure from the rapturous reception a second Trump term got only nine months back. A statement released then by India's External Affairs Ministry described how the two leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership and agreed to remain in touch and meet soon. Social media and news coverage were awash with praise both for this sweeping victory and the warm and cordial relations between Mr Trump and Mr Modi. President Trump's decision and threat to now impose a 50 per cent tariff by the end of August because of India's purchase of Russian oil has escalated a stand-off over trade and led to a spiral of news flow; the US will regret treating India this way, warns one piece; US-India relations are at their worst, bemoans another. The social media clarion has sounded—it is time to ditch American products and companies like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Amazon; although how exactly that will be done remains unclear. All this unfolding while a fresh deadline to this hefty tariff clocks down. So much has changed in nine months. India has for now been steely in its response; but both choices present hard outcomes. Global commodity data shows India imported about 1.8 million barrels per day of Russian crude in the first half of the year, which is about 37 per cent of its total imports. Since 2023, India has been the biggest market for Russian crude, and between the two largest buyers of Russian crude, India and China, it is India that is clearly more dependent. According to data and analytics company Kpler, India imported 89 million tonnes (seaborne crude) last year, which was more than China's import. Switching crude oil varieties and buyers is neither going to be easy nor practical for India's refineries, aside from the fact that it also threatens to ratchet up prices. Also Read | America's melting ice cube and other tariff fairy tales On the flip side, the collateral damage of a 50 per cent tariff slap will be large. There are a number of export-oriented industries that are already feeling jittery; textiles, for one, the gems and jewellery sector, another, where the US makes up 30 per cent of its exports. Many export-oriented industries are in fact also labour-intensive industries, and a hit to their fortunes will have a massive knock-on effect on jobs. The list of vulnerable companies includes the big gun, Reliance Industries, which signed a 10-year contract to buy nearly 5,00,000 barrels a day of crude from Russia's state-owned Rosneft, making it the biggest-ever energy agreement between the two nations. Reliance has been exporting its refined products to both Europe and North America. A breakdown in ties with Western countries will mean significant changes in its business and perhaps its profitability in the months to come. India's domestic advantage with a large consumer market has been pointed to, but whichever way you cut it, a tariff hike of this quantum will see economic damage and dented investor sentiment for the country. There are counter-arguments to the possibility of a grim reset in Indo-US ties. One, that this will be yet another flip-flop by the US President, where a resolution of some sort will be cobbled together before the end of August, which is the deadline set by him. Two, that the two countries are now intertwined across too human and financial capital strands; Indian tech firms have long been present in America's industry through its services and its engineers. Money now flows both ways through venture capital and significant equity market exposure. Ripping all that apart will take more than tariff sabre-rattling. All or some of this may prove to be true. But there are also two clear questions here that need to be reckoned with. India was used to being the 'pick me' candidate when it came to China, where there was tactical and strategic advantage in building strong relations with India to offset China's growing strength in the region. Many nations, the US included, are having a rethink about that approach. China is no longer taboo, and India is no longer the counterfoil to China's regional dominance. Worse yet is the distinct turn in relations between the US and India's other neighbour, Pakistan. What started with a rather embarrassing display of cornering credit, President Trump claimed he was the one to put a stop to an imminent war between India and Pakistan—a claim that has been consistently repeated while speaking on the subject. While Indian diplomatic channels frantically tried to belie that take, Pakistan not only concurred with the US President's statement, it went on to nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Relations between the US and Pakistan have been on the upswing since then, ranging from private lunches with Pakistan's top military brass and talks about potentially boosting trade and commercial ties. It has left the Indian government with egg on its face and a disgruntled domestic mood. India and Pakistan, to America's mind are now firmly re-hyphenated. Also Read | Modi's foreign policy in shreds as non-alignment becomes multi-alignment How did it all turn sour so quickly when the singular narrative so far has been Prime Minister Modi's outstanding personal equation with Trump—from walking out hand in hand to address a rally in Houston, Texas a few years ago, to what is now being termed the lowest point in Indo-US ties in many decades; the 'great friendship' has not yielded any joy on economic ties. Perhaps the first lesson then is when policies—foreign, national, or economic—are built around personalities rather than nations, egos tend to get in the way. Especially when there is a domestic fan base that has been cheering the 'strongman' approach to cater to. There is also a view that this could be the moment India dives into structural reforms. In other words, this will be the catalyst for the great reset. As we wait on that outcome to emerge, it gives rise to the second question: Was that not the plan with the 'Make in India' campaign launched a decade ago? What has gone so sorely wrong ten years into its launch, where is the performance audit on the promised nation-building initiatives, the manufacturing thrust, more jobs for more people? This present round of tariff threats and ultimatums could go in any direction. Frankly, it does not even matter. The economic ground is shifting beneath the feet of both leaders. Time to see who has feet of clay. Mitali Mukherjee is the Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. She is a political economy journalist with more than two decades of experience in TV, print and digital journalism. Mitali has co-founded two start-ups that focussed on civil society and financial literacy and her key areas of interest are gender and climate change.
News18
25 minutes ago
- News18
MP CM Mohan Yadav offers prayers at Amka Jhamka Temple in Dhar on Janmashtami
Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) [India], August 17 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav offered prayers at Amka Jhamka Temple located in Sardarpur Tehsil, Dhar district, on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami on Saturday and also participated in a program organised here to mark the occasion. The temple, associated with the Dwapar Yuga, is believed to be connected with Lord Shri Krishna and the episode of 'Rukmini Haran'. CM Yadav also shared that the temple will be developed as a pilgrimage site, and preparations for the same are underway. 'The way Lord Krishna and Lord Balram created a new history here with their ability and talent, we are making it lively like the pilgrimage sites of Dwarika, Mathura, Gokul and Vrindavan. We have come here for Janmashtami, and we all have a great devotion towards Lord Krishna. In the coming days, this will become a pilgrimage site under the Shree Krishna Pathey and preparations for it are underway. My heartfelt congratulations to everyone on the occasion of Janmashtami," CM Yadav told reporters. Earlier in the day, CM Yadav also participated in Shri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations held at CM House in Bhopal and prayed for the welfare of the people of the state.'On the auspicious occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami, I prayed for the welfare of the people of the state by worshipping according to rituals in the festival organised at the CM's residence on the occasion. Cultural programs have been organised at about 162 places across the state. It is our resolve that we will develop all the places associated with Lord Krishna as pilgrimage sites in the state," the CM said in a post on X. Janmashtami is celebrated as the day when Lord Krishna was born. Lord Krishna's birthday falls on the Ashtami Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapad. Although the celebration takes place in different parts of the country, Mathura and Vrindavan hold a special significance. One being his birthplace, and one where he spent his childhood and did his baal leela. At midnight, a special ritual is performed when the idol of Lord Krishna is bathed in milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, and water. During the Krishna Abhishek, bells are rung, conch shells are blown, and Vedic hymns are performed. (ANI)
