
How will Ukraine-Russia peace deal directly benefit India? Shashi Tharoor explains
Shashi Tharoor
on Monday talked about how Russia-Ukraine peace deal, if reached, would prove to be beneficial for India, expressing the hope that the additional 25% tariffs imposed by the US would be revoked.
"If after the meeting with Putin, there is a meeting with Ukraine, then the second 25% tariff imposed on us due to buying Russian oil will be removed, because it was in the context of the war (between Russia and Ukraine)," ANI quoted him as saying.
— ANI (@ANI)
The additional tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump was in response to New Delhi's continuous purchase of Russian oil, which the States claimed was fueling Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation and the two leaders reaffirmed "commitment to further deepen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership."
"Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for sharing the latest developments on Ukraine. We also reviewed the progress in our bilateral agenda, and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
I look forward to hosting President Putin in India later this year," PM Modi said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Russia has also expressed solidarity with India amid pressure from Trump with 50% tariffs over its continued oil purchases. India has defended its Russian oil purchases, terming it a move necessitated by "global market conditions".
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NDTV
18 minutes ago
- NDTV
Ahead Of Putin Summit, Trump To Speak With Zelensky, European Leaders
Europe and Ukraine's leaders will speak to US President Donald Trump at a virtual meeting on Wednesday ahead of his summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin, as they try to drive home the perils of selling out Kyiv's interests in pursuit of a ceasefire. Trump hosts Putin, a pariah in the West since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, at talks in Alaska on Friday that the US president has said will serve as a "feel-out" meeting in his efforts to end the Russo-Ukraine war. Trump agreed last week to the first US-Russia summit since 2021, abruptly shifting course after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative. Trump said his envoy had made "great progress" at talks in Moscow. The US president says both Kyiv and Moscow will have to cede land to end the war. Russian troops have already occupied almost a fifth of Ukraine. The unpredictability of how the summit will play out has fuelled European fears that the US and Russian leaders could take far-reaching decisions and even seek to coerce Ukraine into an unfavourable deal. "We are focusing now to ensure that it does not happen - engaging with US partners and staying coordinated and united on the European side. Still a lot of time until Friday," said one senior official from eastern Europe. Trump's administration tempered expectations on Tuesday for major progress toward a ceasefire, calling his meeting with Putin in Alaska a "listening exercise." The video conference among Trump, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union is expected to take place at 1200 GMT (1400 CET), a German government spokesperson said. NATO's secretary general will also attend the conference hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Ukraine hopes the meeting will serve - at least partially - as a European counterweight to the summit in Alaska. European leaders, who are wary of provoking Trump's ire, have repeatedly emphasised that they welcome his peace efforts, while underlining that there should be no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation. Half a dozen senior European officials told Reuters that they see a risk of a deal being struck that is unfavourable for Europe and Ukraine's security. They said European unity would be vital if that happened. A source familiar with internal US deliberations said it could not be ruled out that Trump would seek a deal directly with Putin without involving Ukraine or Europe. But the source voiced doubt about that, saying it could cause problems with Kyiv and the EU. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday the summit will be a "listening exercise" for Trump to hear what it will take to get to a deal. After the call, Trump and Vice President JD Vance were expected to speak to European leaders at a separate online meeting at 1300 GMT (1500 CET), the German spokesperson said. That will be followed at 1430 GMT by an online meeting of the "coalition of the willing", a group of countries working on plans to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Mounting battlefield pressure A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also show Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means crushing concessions. Ahead of the calls, Zelensky said it would be impossible for Kyiv to agree to a deal that would require it to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region, a large swathe of which is already occupied by Russia. That, he told reporters on Tuesday, would deprive Ukraine of a vast defensive network in the region, easing the way for Russia to mount a new push deeper into Ukraine in the future. Territorial issues, he added, could only be discussed once a ceasefire has been put in place and Ukraine has received security guarantees. Moscow's troops have recently ramped up pressure on the battlefield, tightening their stranglehold on the cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine.


NDTV
18 minutes ago
- NDTV
"India Has Been Bit Recalcitrant", Says US Treasury Chief On Trade Talks
New York: India has been a 'bit recalcitrant' on trade negotiations with the US, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said. 'That's aspirational,' Bessent said on Fox Business on Tuesday, responding to a question on wrapping up all the tariffs and trade deals by the end of October. 'But I think we are in a good position. The big trade deals that aren't done or aren't agreed - Switzerland is still around, India has been a bit recalcitrant,' he said, adding that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and teams of lawyers 'are busy papering all this over". "So I think we will have agreed on substantial terms with all the substantial countries. And as I've been saying for a long time, the President's (Donald Trump) doing peace deals, trade deals, tax deals,' he added. Even as trade negotiations between India and the US were ongoing, Trump imposed tariffs totalling 50 per cent on India, including 25 per cent for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, which will come into effect from August 27. Responding to the tariffs, the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi has said that the targeting of India is "unjustified and unreasonable". 'Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,' it said. Last week's announcement of Trump's executive order imposing the additional 25 per cent tariffs on India came at a time when a team from the US is scheduled to visit India from August 25 for the sixth round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement. The two countries are aiming to conclude the first phase of the pact by fall (October-November) this year.


The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
ED raids on Congress MLA in Karnataka in illegal iron ore export case
The Enforcement Directorate raided premises linked to Karnataka Congress MLA Satish Krishna Sail and some others on August 13 as part of a money laundering investigation against the legislator in a case related to alleged illegal export of iron ore, official sources said. At least 15 premises in Karnataka, Goa and Mumbai are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. Sail is a Congress MLA representing the Karwar Assembly constituency in Uttara Kannada district. Sail, according to the sources, has been accused of exporting illegally mined iron ore, which was seized by Forest Department at Belekeri port in Karwar, Karnataka. While the value of illegally exported ore is in the hundreds of crores of rupees, the estimated 'loss' to the government exchequer is about Rs 38 crore, the sources said. The case originated from a 2010 probe by the Karnataka Lokayukta, which discovered that about 8 lakh tonnes of iron ore were illegally transported from Ballari to Belekeri port. A special court had found Sail and others guilty in multiple cases related to the illegal export of iron ore through the Belekeri port. In 2024, the High Court of Karnataka had ordered suspension of the seven-year prison sentence of the MLA in this case.