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India welcomes Trump–Putin Alaska summit on Ukraine conflict
US President Donald Trump said on August 8, 2025 he would meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska, as the Republican billionaire hopes to help mediate an end to the war in Ukraine. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
India on Saturday welcomed next week's summit talks between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska to find ways to end the Ukraine conflict.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), endorsing the move, said India stands ready to support the efforts as it recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's consistent position that 'this is not an era of war'.
India's reaction came hours after the US and Russia announced that Trump and Putin will meet in Alaska next Friday on the Ukraine conflict .
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Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the US state of Alaska on August 15, to try to resolve the three-year conflict, despite warnings from Ukraine and Europe that Kyiv must be part of negotiations.
Announcing the summit on Friday, Trump said that 'there'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both' Ukraine and Russia, without providing further details.
'India welcomes the understanding reached between the United States and the Russian Federation for a meeting in Alaska on August 15,' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
'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',' he said.
'India, therefore, endorses the upcoming Summit meeting and stands ready to support these efforts,' Jaiswal said in a statement.
However, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,' 'Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace. They will achieve nothing,' he said, adding that the war 'cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine'.
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Zelensky also urged Ukraine's allies to take 'clear steps' towards achieving a sustainable peace, during a call with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
National security advisors from Kyiv's allies – including the United States, EU nations and the UK – were gathering in Britain on Saturday to align their views ahead of the Putin-Trump summit.
'It is truly important that the Russians do not succeed in deceiving anyone again,' Zelensky said after a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, without elaborating further.
Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine this year have failed to bear fruit, and it remains unclear whether a summit could bring peace any closer as the warring sides' positions are still far apart.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes.
With inputs from agencies
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