India's torment over tariff continues as Zelenskyy heads to White House
: European leaders, including the heads of France, Germany, Britain, and Italy, will join Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday for talks with President Trump that could determine the future course and fate of many nations, including that of India on the economic front.
The Trump-engineered peace agreement envisages Kiev giving up Russian captured territory in return for non-Nato security guarantees, proposals the Europeans and Ukraine are chary of given the US President's convivial ties with Putin. But challenging Trump also risks continuing a war that Trump thinks Ukraine is certain to lose and fracturing the 75-year old Atlantic alliance that has depended on the US for security.
Zelenskyy will return to the Oval Office on Monday morning with the world's eyes trained on the meeting and memories of the shellacking he got from Trump and vice-president Vance for what they saw as ingratitude in the face of adversity. He will also be accompanied by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, as they try to forestall what is essentially a surrender before the emerging Trump-Putin alliance.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite?
Vitauthority
Learn More
Undo
The US President exuded confidence ahead of the meeting, posting "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" and excoriating the liberal media for describing the Alaska summit as a win for Putin. "If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal. That's why they are the FAKE NEWS! Also, they should talk about the 6 WARS, etc.
, I JUST STOPPED!!!" Trump posted.
But analysts say permitting Russia to keep captured Ukrainian territory sets a dangerous precedent for smaller countries facing bigger neighbors with historical grievances eyeing their territory. Trump though sees Ukraine being in an unwinnable position -- certainly without US support -- and would rather have Kiev sue for peace by conceding lost territory and keeping what remains.
India, which has little to do with the Russia-Ukraine war but has high stakes in a peace deal, looks likely to face several more weeks of agony and uncertainty, as the Ukraine-EU combine puts up resistance against Trump-Putin initiative to end the war while seeking a trilateral meeting to hash out details.
There is growing disapproval among regional experts over Trump's handling of ties with New Delhi, in particular his victimisation of India with punitive tariffs to achieve peace on the Russia-Ukraine front, with visions of a Nobel Prize tagged to it.
"Because US-Russia negotiations are incomplete, the Trump admin can't make any concrete decisions on India. Washington has put India, a friendly strategic partner, in an indefinite holding pattern—terrible diplomacy on display," Derek Grossman, an Indo-Pacific national security expert said on X, after Washington postponed a visit to New Delhi by a trade team to discuss tariff issues.
Putin himself inadvertently exposed White House hypocrisy towards India as he spoke of a 20 percent increase in Russia-US trade since Trump took office, even as the US President is bearing down on New Delhi for buying Russian oil.
"Tariffing India won't stop Putin. If Trump really wanted to address Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, maybe punish Putin and give Ukraine the military aid it needs. Everything else is smoke and mirrors," Democrats on the House Foreign Relations committee said over the weekend even as the Republic flock stayed quiet.
Former administration officials and even some current insiders are appalled at the Trump White House's "insensitivity" in managing the India relationship, with criticism about lack of expertise about the sub-continent in the President's inner circle. One former official said the White House appears to have jettisoned inter-agency meetings and national security issues are being piloted by individuals close to the President with little domain knowledge or expertise.
"It's amateur hour at the White House," the former official said as reports emerged of an administration staffer leaving behind sensitive documents on a hotel printer in Alaska after the Trump-Putin meeting.
Stay informed with the latest
business
news, updates on
bank holidays
,
public holidays
, current
gold rate
and
silver price
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Know How To Kill Russians': Ukraine Envoy Pokes Moscow, Demands NATO Membership With Chilling Boast
'India's Strikes, Not Trump': Tharoor Backs India's Stance On Ceasefire With Pakistan At the launch of the book 'Whither India-Pakistan Relations Today? Can They Ever Be Good Neighbours?', Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised Operation Sindoor, calling it a decisive response to cross-border terror. He said India's strikes—"not Mr. Trump"—prompted Pakistan to request a ceasefire in May. Tharoor revealed he had written an op-ed days after the Pahalgam attack suggesting such action, and expressed surprise that the government followed the same course. He said India's interception of missiles aimed at Delhi on May 10 showed strength. With Balakot and now Sindoor, Tharoor said India has shown it won't tolerate terror on its soil. 6.7K views | 5 hours ago
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
5 minutes ago
- First Post
You can now carry rifles, shotguns in Washington DC without facing charges: New policy after Trump takeover
Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., will no longer seek felony charges for carrying rifles or shotguns. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro cites Supreme Court rulings and constitutional rights in line with Trump's law enforcement push. Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. have been directed not to pursue felony charges against people caught carrying rifles or shotguns in the city, a dramatic departure from long-standing practice. The instruction, confirmed by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in an email obtained by The Washington Post, follows guidance from the Justice Department and its solicitor general. Until now, D.C.'s law barring residents from carrying long guns with only limited exceptions had been used in several notable prosecutions, including the 2016 'Pizzagate' incident, when an armed man stormed a local restaurant and a 2019 case involving a shotgun attack in Northeast Washington. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The policy shift coincides with President Donald Trump's aggressive expansion of federal law enforcement in the capital, a campaign touted as a crackdown on illegal firearms. White House officials have pointed to the seizure of 68 weapons since the start of the initiative. Yet the new stance raises questions about how many of those cases will result in charges. Pirro, who took over as the city's chief federal prosecutor earlier this month and is a close Trump ally, stressed that her office will continue to prosecute violent crimes and weapons trafficking cases involving rifles or shotguns. Handgun cases, which make up the majority of gun-related prosecutions in D.C., are also unaffected. In a statement, Pirro was quoted by the Washington Post as saying that the District's ban on carrying rifles and shotguns conflicts with Supreme Court rulings that have expanded gun rights, notably District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022). Both decisions held that restrictions not grounded in US historical tradition cannot stand. 'President Trump and I remain fully committed to prosecuting gun crime,' Pirro said. 'But we will do so in ways consistent with the Constitution and the laws of the land.'
The Hindu
5 minutes ago
- The Hindu
U.S. government eyes stakes in chipmakers; OpenAI to touch highest valuation for a private firm; Google settles YouTube children's lawsuit
U.S. government eyes stakes in chipmakers U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the U.S. government is looking at picking up more equity stakes in computer chipmakers that are a part of the CHIPS Act. The U.S. federal government is already in talks to receive a 10% equity stake in Intel in exchange for cash grants. Lutnick said the they're exploring companies like Micron, TSMC and Samsung. Intel and Micron are the biggest recipients of grants from the CHIPS Act. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed the decision calling it a 'creative idea that has never been done before.' The U.S. government will not be directing Intel how to run their operations. Similar actions where the U.S. has taken a stake in a company to offer cash have happened before during time periods of economic uncertainty. Earlier this year, Trump approved Nippon Steel's purchase of U.S. Steel after being promised a 'golden share' that would prevent the companies from reducing or delaying investments, transferring production or jobs outside the U.S. or shutting down plants without Trump's permission. The $52.7 CHIPS Act provides funding for research and grants for building chip plants in the U.S. Last year, the U.S. Commerce Department gave out subsidies of $4.75 billion to Samsung, $6.2 billion to Micron and $6.6 billion to TSMC. OpenAI to touch highest valuation for a private firm OpenAI is in discussions to sell $6 billion in shares pushing the AI firm's valuation to $500 billion, the highest valuation for a privately held firm. This would edge it past Elon Musk's SpaceX and TikTok parent ByteDance. Currently, SpaceX is the most valued private company globally at $350 billion. Investors who will be a part of the secondary share sale includes SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group and Thrive Capital. All of them had already invested in OpenAI earlier. A few weeks ago, OpenAI had raised $8.3 billion at a valuation of $300 billion. The deal was a part of OpenAI's broad strategy to secure $40 billion this year in funding. A Wired report said that there two deals in play. The SoftBank investment in OpenAI which is expected to be closed by the end of the year will value OpenAI at $300 billion. The share sale will move OpenAI 's valuation to $500 billion. Cheaper shares have already been bought while the pricier shares are still on sale. Google settles YouTube children's lawsuit Google will settle a lawsuit filed that alleged YouTube collected personal information of minors without parental consent by paying $30 million. A preliminary settlement of the class action was filed on Monday and is pending approval. Google has denied the allegations. Back in 2019, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had made similar claims and YouTube had paid $170 in fines and made some changes to their practices. Parents and guardians of 34 children accused Google of violating dozens of state laws by allowing content providers to bait children with cartoons and nursey rhymes to help collect sensitive information post the 2019 case. The content providers listed were Hasbro, Mattel, Cartoon Network and DreamWorks Animation but Google said there was insufficient proof that they were collecting data. The class action covered children under 13 years of age and were watching YouTube between July 2013 and April 2020 and had between 35 million to 45 million members as plaintiffs. If 1% to 2% submitted claims in the case, which is the usual rate for similar cases, plaintiffs could receive between $30 to $60 each.
