On Cam: Putin Aide Encounters Bear Before Trump Summit In Alaska
The UK has abandoned plans to send 30,000 troops to Ukraine following a ceasefire push. Instead, the mission will focus on air patrols over western Ukraine using Typhoon and F-35 jets. Other tasks include Black Sea mine clearance and military training support for Kyiv's forces. Operations will remain in lower-risk western regions to avoid direct confrontation with Russia. Moscow has warned against any NATO presence, while several EU nations oppose troop deployment. The shift comes ahead of the tense Alaska summit between Putin and Trump later this week.
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Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Reading the outcome of the Alaska summit
The Alaska summit between American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin may have ended inconclusively, but it clearly indicated that if the Ukraine war ends during Trump's presidency, Ukraine will likely have to sacrifice a part of its territory. The usual aggression that Trump displays when meeting other world leaders was hardly present when he met Putin; if anything, there was a great deal of chemistry between them. In the run-up to the summit, Trump had warned of 'severe consequences' if Putin continued the Ukraine war after the summit, but that appears to be an empty threat now. As a matter of fact, Trump seems to have gone in the opposite direction. After the summit, Trump agreed with Putin that the best way to end the war was through a peace settlement — not a ceasefire, which Ukraine, Europe, and even the US had preferred prior to the summit, but not Russia. The apparent rapport between the two leaders and Trump's reversal on the ceasefire issue suggest that Trump is likely to, going forward, show more understanding of the Russian position than the Ukrainian one. Apart from the growing certainty, underscored by this summit, that the war is likely to end on Russia's terms, the rest is just noise and drama — including, it seems, Trump's recent threat to impose an additional 25% duty on Indian goods for buying Russian oil. A key reason Russia is unlikely to give up the captured Ukrainian territory is not only its military strength but also that, under Trump, Washington lacks the political will to enforce such a change. Even if the US had the political will to do so, as it did under the Biden administration, it might still have been unable to dislodge Russia from the occupied territories. At best, the US could have made it tough for Russia to hold onto the captured territory and generally made life difficult for Moscow. Trump is not keen on doing so; he appears to have decided to abandon Ukraine. America's lack of commitment to this war is hardly born out of a realistic assessment of the balance of forces on the battlefield or due to Russian staying power in the occupied territories; it is simply a function of Trump's personal proclivities. Trump is simply not convinced of the need to push back against Russia because he doesn't believe in that cause: He wants a great power rapprochement with Russia. Trump's war termination talks with Russia without Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the table, America's reduced military assistance to Ukraine, and the summit with Putin are all part of the American president's attempts at controlling the narrative, something Trump enjoys immensely. Europe is deeply worried but has limited capacity to help Ukraine. Its security predicament stems from its deep reliance on American security guarantees. If it doesn't have the wherewithal to look after its own security, its ability to help Ukraine without the US is far less certain. Notwithstanding Europe's good intentions and its constant assurances to Ukraine, it will eventually have to swallow the bitter pill and walk the line dictated by Washington. Good intentions are not enough to win wars. Russia is now acting from a position of strength — militarily, diplomatically and geopolitically. The Alaska summit has further strengthened Moscow's position regarding the war. By agreeing to a peace settlement to end the war, as opposed to a ceasefire, Trump has effectively agreed to the Russian position. Even if we are not sure what Trump has in mind when he refers to a peace settlement, we do know what Putin means by it. The Russian view of a settlement has the following four key elements. One, international legal recognition of Crimea, captured in 2014, as part of Russia, as well as Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions; two, Ukraine must become neutral, outside any military alliance, host no foreign forces, and make a commitment not to acquire nuclear weapons; three, major limits on Ukraine's armed forces; four, ending the sanctions on Russia. Even if Russia is able to get some, if not all, of these demands met — which doesn't seem impossible at this point— it is likely to walk away from this war victorious. Russia is on its way back into the ranks of great powers and the global balance of power, and Putin has much to thank Trump for creating that shift. Even though Ukraine is the most important, and aggrieved, party in this conflict, unfortunately, it appears to be the least consequential one at the negotiating table, at least for the moment. It neither has the military power to push back against Russia on its own nor does it have the geopolitical standing to convince Trump to come to its aid. Kyiv's best friends, the European States, are finding it harder to do for Ukraine any more than what they are already doing. Ukraine's fate is a grave wake-up call for small and medium powers worldwide, especially those bordering ambitious great powers. If so, the eventual outcomes of the Ukraine war are broadly clear; unless of course, there are major shifts in geopolitics in the months to come. We are likely to witness a great power détente between the US and Russia. The chemistry between the two leaders left us in no doubt that the world is headed that way. Such a US-Russia détente will leave Europe insecure, which will seek to build its defence outside of Nato. Ukraine is caught between having to make concessions it detests and being embroiled in a long war with Russia without any US military assistance. It can afford neither, nor can it avoid a choice. Happymon Jacob is the founder and director of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research and the editor of INDIA'S WORLD magazine. The views expressed are personal.
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Putin, Trump break the ice, Kyiv feels the chill
It was a meeting of the two titans. On the morning of August 15, Russian president Vladimir Putin landed at Anchorage Airport in Alaska. US president Donald Trump stood on the carpet awaiting his guest's arrival, and Putin, alighting from the plane, set the tone and tempo for the summit with his 'dear neighbour'. So far, Trump hasn't accorded the honour of a personal welcome to even any of his Western allies. Many started drawing positive conclusions about the summit from the body language of the two leaders. But the Alaska summit, of which expectations had been high, failed to reach a conclusion and has left behind a fog of new concerns. There's a host of reasons for such a conclusion. The summit was expected to last for five to six hours, but it ended within three hours. A day earlier, Trump had said he wouldn't be happy if a ceasefire (in the Ukraine war) didn't materialise from the summit. He had even threatened Russia with harsher sanctions if there was no ceasefire. However, his threats proved ineffective. During the press conference, he grudgingly accepted that while they made some progress, many important issues remained unresolved. Putin said he hoped both the countries could work together on key concerns. The summit should be seen as a diplomatic thaw with little concrete outcomes. At most, Alaska can pave the way for another discussion. Trump said as much when he announced that he would be talking to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Nato allies to fix a date and venue for further talks. In an interview to Fox News just before the summit, Trump hinted that now it's up to Zelensky to take a call on the future of his nation. Could Zelensky end up isolated? Remember how Trump and his deputy, JD Vance, bullied Zelensky in full media glare at the White House? Experts argue that last year in Istanbul, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine were on the verge of a deal but Zelensky stopped short of it on the assurance of full US support. Ukraine is surviving with the help of European nations, but as the conflict slides into an endless morass, Europe will find it difficult to keep supporting. Putin understands this and is in no hurry for peace. During the Alaska summit, Trump interestingly seemed to have controlled his usual urge to hog the limelight by offering the opening address to Putin. In a 12-minute presser, Putin spoke for a little over eight minutes while Trump took less than four minutes. He ended in his characteristic style saying, 'Vladimir, I hope we meet soon'. Not missing the opportunity, Putin quickly replied in English: 'This time, in Moscow'. The statement caught Trump off guard. No media questions were allowed. It was clear both the leaders did not have much to say. The summit did not reach any conclusion because Putin isn't budging from his four core demands: A large portion of land annexed by Russia from Ukraine be recognised as Russian territory; annexed Crimea be recognised similarly; immediate ban on Nato's expansion; and urgent lifting of sanctions on Russia. Trump can neither accept these demands nor does he have the political capital to force Ukraine or his Western allies to accept these. Contrary to his claims, Trump is not bothered about lives being lost in Ukraine or in any conflict areas. His eyes are set on Ukrainian minerals and agricultural products, and he's wary of the increasing closeness between Moscow and Beijing. He also perceives a new threat in Brics. If the group keeps gaining heft, it may end up being a threat to the US in future. The combined economic strength of China, India, Brazil and Russia is almost twice that of Europe. These statistics don't favour the US in a changing global scenario. Trump knows that tariffs and economic sanctions alone can't contain Russia. Many of his predecessors failed in their attempts to tame Russia. This is the reason the US maintains the façade of sanctions on Russia but uses back-channel diplomacy to increase trade with it. Since Trump's second presidency, Russia-America trade has witnessed a 20% surge. As for India, after the Alaska summit, Trump said he may not impose 'additional tariffs' as a penalty or punishment on countries buying Russian oil. It's not clear whether he was talking about the 25% penalty he imposed or any new tariff that he was working on. With the Alaska meeting having ended as a damp squib, New Delhi is keenly watching. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Stalemate in Alaska is a gain for Moscow
The summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ended without any concrete outcomes regarding the ending of the war in Ukraine, currently in its fourth year. It was clear after the meeting in Alaska that Trump had given up his push for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine while Putin had demanded that Ukraine should give up control of the entire Donbas region, including areas that have not been taken by Russian troops. It will be foolhardy for the Europeans to expect the US to play its traditional role even though they have no choice but to continue with Trump as the only broker who has a direct line to Putin. (@mfa_russia via PTI) The summit was a symbolic win for Putin, who became a virtual outcast for the West even before the launch of the invasion, as he secured an invitation to the US without making any concessions. Both Trump and Putin have spoken of security guarantees for Ukraine, while the US President has said he believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should cut a deal. However, Ukraine has already ruled out any territorial concessions while European leaders have expressed doubts about Putin's intentions, pointing out that he has not delivered on past commitments. The planned meeting between Trump, Zelensky and other European leaders on Monday is expected to offer indications of the way forward, though it will be foolhardy for the Europeans to expect the US to play its traditional role even though they have no choice but to continue with Trump as the only broker who has a direct line to Putin. The Indian government, which followed the Alaska summit closely because of Trump's threat of resorting to secondary sanctions against the country after imposing a 25% tariff over the continued purchases of Russian oil, has welcomed the Alaska summit and commended Putin and Trump for their pursuit of peace. The Indian side's wish for an early end to the conflict in Ukraine will require more protracted diplomacy.
