Trump warns of make-or-break chance with Putin as pressure mounts
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Pressure mounted ahead of a landmark summit in Alaska between the United States and Russia, as Donald Trump warned that Vladimir Putin had only one chance but Moscow pressed ahead with major battlefield gains in Ukraine.Putin and Trump will meet Friday at an air base in the far-northern US state, the first time the Russian leader has been permitted on Western soil since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine which has killed tens of thousands of people.With such high stakes, all sides were pushing hard in the hours before the meeting.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has refused to surrender territory to Russia, spoke by telephone Wednesday with Trump, as did European leaders who voiced confidence afterward that the US leader would seek a ceasefire rather than concessions by Kyiv.Trump himself sent mixed messages, saying that he could quickly organize a three-way summit afterward with both Zelensky and Putin but also warning of his impatience with Putin."There may be no second meeting because, if I feel that it's not appropriate to have it because I didn't get the answers that we have to have, then we are not going to have a second meeting," Trump told reporters.Russia, Trump said, would face "severe consequences" if it does not halt its offensive.But Trump said: "If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one," involving both Putin and Zelensky.Putin pitched the meeting after Trump threatened sanctions on Russia. Trump has already ramped up tariffs on India, which has become a key buyer of Russian energy.Zelensky, after being berated by Trump at a February meeting in the White House, has publicly supported US diplomacy but made clear his deep skepticism."I have told my colleagues -- the US president and our European friends -- that Putin definitely does not want peace," Zelensky said.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who welcomed Zelensky in Berlin, said Ukraine is ready to negotiate "on territorial issues" but stressed that legal recognition of Russian occupations "would not be up for debate."NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declared: "The ball is now in Putin's court."Trump will meet Putin on Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base, a major US military hub in Alaska's most populous city of Anchorage that played a key role in monitoring the Soviet Union during the Cold War.Off the base, on the rainy streets of Anchorage, there were few signs that the world's eyes would soon be on the city, other than an influx of media who have booked up virtually all rooms.The US Treasury Department announced that it would temporarily ease sanctions on the visiting senior Russian officials, who normally would struggle to carry out simple transactions, such as withdrawing cash in Western countries.The most visible sign of the impending summit was in Ukraine itself.According to an AFP analysis of battlefield data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces made their biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in more than a year on Tuesday.The Russian army took or claimed 110 square kilometers (42.5 square miles) on August 12 compared with the previous day.Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk, an eastern city about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front, said they had low expectations for Trump's meeting with Putin.Artem, a 30-year-old serviceman, said the war would likely continue for "a long time.""Putin is massing an army, his army is growing, he is stockpiling weapons, he is pulling the wool over our eyes."Trump has long voiced admiration for Putin and had vowed to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of returning to the White House.But he has since voiced frustration as Putin ignores his pleas for a ceasefire and presses ahead with attacks on Ukraine.
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First Post
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Putin gets validation from Alaska summit. What did Trump take home in an empty-handed return?
Despite Trump's erratic outburst against Putin, the Russian president lauded the 'friendly tone' of talks, greeted Trump as a 'dear neighbour,' and proposed a future meeting 'next time in Moscow,' signalling continued engagement US President Donald Trump salutes as he walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. - AFP The Alaska Summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has ended without any breakthrough on ending the Ukraine war. While Trump returned home empty-handed, Putin took back diplomatic recognition despite Western attempts to isolate him over the Ukraine invasion. This was the Russian president's first visit to a Western nation since 2015. Despite Trump's erratic outburst against Putin, the Russian president lauded the 'friendly tone' of talks, greeted Trump as a 'dear neighbour,' and proposed a future meeting 'next time in Moscow,' signalling continued engagement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources. Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia's much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometre) front line. Trump heaps praise on Putin Trump, who for years has baulked at American support for Ukraine and expressed admiration for Putin, had pledged confidently to bring about an end to the war on his first day back in the White House. Seven months later, after berating Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and stanching the flow of some US military assistance to Kyiv, Trump could not bring Putin even to pause the fighting, as his forces made gains on the battlefield. He handed Putin long-sought recognition on the international stage, after years of Western efforts to make him a pariah over the war and his crackdown on dissent, and forestalled the threat of additional US sanctions. Trump fails to take anything home Trump arrived with high expectations, aiming to demonstrate dealmaking prowess and end the war, but left without any binding agreements or a ceasefire. Despite Trump's earlier boasts, he conceded, 'there's no deal until there's a deal,' showing the gulf remaining between the two sides. The Alaska summit was Trump's biggest test to date as a peace dealmaker. An empty-hand return doesn't boost his CV amid his repeated claims of having ended more wars than any other US president. Trump placed partial responsibility on Zelenskyy to 'get it done,' signalling limited US leverage or willingness to push harder on Kyiv. The lavish welcome and Putin's smiles contrasted starkly with the ongoing war and stalled progress. Trump assured future dialogue but returned empty-handed, with no concrete plan to end the conflict or alter existing sanctions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from AP
India.com
34 minutes ago
- India.com
India stands firm against Trump tariff threats, increases crude oil imports from Russia, this month purchase stands at...
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NDTV
34 minutes ago
- NDTV
Trump Claims Russia Lost "Oil Client" India, Then Another Tariff Warning
US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed Russia lost India as one of its oil clients after Washington imposed a penalty on New Delhi over the purchases, and warned against the possibility of a similar sanction on Moscow with "devastating" results. The President's remarks came even as New Delhi is yet to confirm any halt in oil purchases from Moscow after Washington announced a 25 per cent duty in addition to a 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods last month. "They lost oil client India which was doing about 40% of the oil and China's doing a lot. If I did a secondary tariff it would be devastating, if I have to I will, maybe I won't have to," Mr Trump told Fox News as he departed for Alaska for a high-stakes meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Trump says he may not impose 25% tariffs on India (to kick in from 27 August) for buying Russian oil.. Trump: "They lost oil client India which was doing about 40% of the oil & China's doing a lot, if I did a secondary tariff it would be devastating, if I have to I will, may be… — Dhairya Maheshwari (@dhairyam14) August 16, 2025 On August 6, Mr Trump escalated his tariff offensive against India by slapping an additional 25 percent duty and subsequently doubling it to 50 percent on Indian goods over New Delhi's continuous imports of Russian oil. India condemned the "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" move that is likely to hit sectors such as textiles, marine and leather exports hard. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said New Delhi would not back down in the face of economic pressure. With this action singling out New Delhi for the Russian oil imports, India will attract the highest US tariff of 50 percent along with Brazil. Both Russia and China, among others, have slammed Mr Trump for exerting illegal trade pressure on India. A Bloomberg report claimed India's state-owned refiners stopped buying Russian crude after Mr Trump's action even though the government is yet to announce any confirmation. On Thursday, Indian Oil Corporation chairman AS Sahney said India has not halted oil purchases from Russia and continues to buy solely on the basis of economic considerations. India became the largest customer of Russian oil in 2022, after western countries shunned Russian oil and imposed sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. According to a report by the State Bank of India, India's crude oil import bill could increase by USD 9 billion this financial year and USD 12 billion in the next, if the country stops buying Russian crude oil. The report also said that India can consider buying oil from Iraq - its top supplier before the Ukraine war - followed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the event of cutting off the Russian supplies. Data intelligence firm Kpler Ltd reported Russian crude is being offered to Indian buyers at lower prices as European Union sanctions and threats of penalties from the US cloud the demand outlook, Bloomberg reported.
