Putin flexes India, China ties ahead of planned Trump meeting
Putin held phone calls with both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, which Trump had set as the deadline for Russia to agree to a peace deal or face 'secondary tariffs' on its key trading partners.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Putin is demanding major territorial concessions by Ukraine in exchange for a halt to fighting.
Modi's call with Putin came as India is facing an additional 25 percent in U.S. tariffs over its continued purchase of Russian oil, set to kick in at the end of this month, on top of 25 percent 'reciprocal' tariffs that took effect this week.
Modi after the call said he had a 'very good and detailed conversation' with the Russian leader, who briefed him on the latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war.
'We also reviewed the progress in our bilateral agenda, and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,' Modi said. 'I look forward to hosting President Putin in India later this year.'
The call with Modi came a day after Putin met with India's national security adviser Ajit Doval in Moscow. India has pushed back on Trump's tariff threats, saying buying Russian oil is necessary to stabilize domestic energy costs.
Putin also spoke with Xi on Friday, briefing the Chinese president on his Wednesday huddle with Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The Kremlin said that Xi showed support for the 'settlement of the Ukrainian crisis on a long-term basis.'
The Chinese president told Putin that Beijing, which provided crucial support to Russia's war, would continue 'promoting peace and dialogue.'
The calls come amid a flurry of diplomacy on all sides after the Wednesday meeting between Putin and Witkoff, which Trump said was 'highly productive' and made 'great progress.'
The president warned last month that Russia could stare down 'severe' tariffs if Moscow did not agree to a ceasefire within the next two months, a timeline he shortened to Friday of this week.
He has said nations doing business with Russia would face a 100 percent 'secondary' tariffs, in a bid to further isolate Moscow economically.
When asked Friday at the White House, while hosting the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for a peace summit, if the Friday deadline would still entail punishment for Russia if it did not agree to a ceasefire, Trump demurred.
'We're going to see what he has to say,' the president told reporters. 'It's gonna be up to him. Very disappointed.'
Late on Friday, Trump announced on social media that he and Putin will meet next Friday in Alaska.
At the White House, Trump indicated that swapping territories between Russia and Ukraine is part of potential peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
'You're looking at territory that's been fought over for three and a half years. A lot of Russians have died, a lot of Ukrainians. So we're looking at that, but we're actually to get some back and some swapping. It's complicated,' Trump said on Friday.
'It's actually — nothing easy. It's very complicated. But we're going to get some back. And we're going to get some switched,' the president added. 'They'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both, but we'll be talking about that either later or tomorrow or whatever.'
The Journal reported that Putin's proposal entails Ukraine withdrawing its military from the eastern Donetsk region, essentially letting Moscow oversee Luhansk and Donetsk, along with Crimea – comprising most of the country's east. A second phase would entail Putin and Trump agreeing on the final peace agreement that would later be discussed with Zelensky.
Witkoff's spokesperson declined to comment.
Witkoff spoke with senior European officials from Germany, France, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Italy and Finland on Thursday, two sources familiar with the call told The Hill on Thursday.
The special envoy held another call with European national security officials on Friday, according to a NATO official and another source briefed on the matter. After the huddle, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's top adviser, Andriy Yermak, said the officials 'focused on coordinating positions to bring a sustainable and just peace for Ukraine as soon as possible.'
'We are ready to work as productively as possible to save lives and stop the fighting,' he wrote on social media.
The president said at the White House on Friday that Zelensky 'has to get all of his, everything he needs, because he's going to have to get ready to sign something and I think he's working hard to get that done.'
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Los Angeles Times
19 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Zelensky rejects Trump talk of ceding Ukrainian territory, says Kyiv must be part of any talks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday dismissed the planned summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that any peace deal excluding Kyiv would lead to 'dead solutions.' The Trump-Putin meeting, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, has been cast as a potential breakthrough in the nearly 3½-year war. Trump had previously agreed to meet with Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelensky, stoking fears for Ukraine and many allies that it could be sidelined in efforts to stop Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. In a statement posted to Telegram, Zelensky said Ukraine's territorial integrity, enshrined in its constitution, must be nonnegotiable, and he emphasized that lasting peace must include Ukraine's voice at the table. In response to Trump's comments to reporters Friday that any agreement would probably involve 'some swapping of territories,' Zelensky said that Ukraine 'will not give Russia any awards for what it has done' and that 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.' Touching on Ukrainian anxieties that a direct meeting between Putin and Trump could marginalize Ukraine and European interests, Zelensky said: 'Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work.' Ukrainian officials had previously told the Associated Press privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine's inability to regain lost territories militarily. Trump announced Friday his planned meeting with Putin in Alaska. 'It seems entirely logical for our delegation to fly across the Bering Strait simply, and for such an important and anticipated summit of the leaders of the two countries to be held in Alaska,' Putin's foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, said Saturday in a statement posted to the Kremlin's news channel. The summit could prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor in February 2022 and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although it's far from certain it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace. In his comments to reporters at the White House on Friday, before his post confirming the date and place, Trump gave no further details on the 'swapping of territories.' Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that Russia could offer to give up territory it controls outside the five regions it claims to have annexed — Crimea and the four regions seized since Moscow's invasion. Trump said his meeting with Putin would come before any sit-down discussion involving Zelensky. His announcement that he planned to host one of America's adversaries on U.S. soil broke with expectations that they'd meet in a third country. The gesture appears to give Putin validation after the U.S. and its allies had long sought to make him a pariah over his war against Ukraine. Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told the Associated Press that the 'symbology' of holding the summit in Alaska was clear, and that the location 'naturally favors Russia.' 'It's easy to imagine Putin making the point. … We once had this territory and we gave it to you, therefore Ukraine had this territory and now should give it to us,' he said, referring to the 1867 transaction known as the Alaska Purchase when Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. On the streets of Kyiv, reactions to the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia ranged from skepticism to quiet resignation. 'It may not be capitulation, but it would be a loss,' said Ihor Usatenko, a 67-year-old pensioner, who said he would consider ceding territory 'on condition for compensation and, possibly, some reparations.' Anastasia Yemelianova, 31, said she was torn: 'Honestly, I have two answers to that question. The first is as a person who loves her country. I don't want to compromise within myself,' she told the AP. 'But seeing all these deaths and knowing that my mother is now living in Nikopol under shelling and my father is fighting, I want all this to end as soon as possible.' Others, like Svitlana Dobrynska, whose son died fighting, rejected outright concessions but supported halting combat to save lives. 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Gould-Davies likened attempts to understand that shift to 'Kremlinology' — the Cold War-era practice of deciphering opaque signals from Soviet leadership. 'We're … looking for clues and for hints … about what the hell is going on; what the mix of influences around Trump and indeed in Trump's head is propelling his latest statement,' he said. 'It's as if his disillusionment with Putin … never happened,' Gould-Davies said, pointing to a sudden return to the more conciliatory Russia policy Trump embraced at the start of his presidency. Prior to Trump announcing the meeting with Putin, his efforts to pressure Russia into stopping the fighting had delivered no progress. The Kremlin's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armor while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainian cities. Two people died and 16 were wounded Saturday when a Russian drone hit a minibus in the suburbs of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. 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Newsweek
19 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Alaska Governor Reacts To Trump-Putin Meeting: 'Most Strategic Location'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Alaska is the "most fitting" location for the summit between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the state's governor has said. Mike Dunleavy posted on X that Alaska's location, which at its closest point is only 2 miles from Russia, makes it "the most strategic location" for the leaders to discuss the war in Ukraine on August 15. Russian media also welcomed the location for Putin, who will make his first visit to the U.S. for a decade. This montage shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. This montage shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. Getty Images Why It Matters A U.S. location has allowed Trump to make a bold announcement and act as host for an event with potentially significant geopolitical consequences. Alaska was once a part of the Russian empire before it was sold to the U.S. by Tsar Alexander II for $7.2 million in 1867 and Russian media, which have discussed Moscow trying to recapture it, have noted the symbolism of the Arctic state's location for a summit. What To Know Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda called the choice "logical" given the countries' common economic interests in the Arctic and that unlike the various other venues broached, Putin runs no risk of being arrested under a warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the jurisdiction of which the U.S. does not recognize. Before Trump and the Kremlin confirmed the meeting between the leaders, Putin had suggested the United Arab Emirates as a possible venue but the choice of Alaska has been welcomed by Moscow. Trump announced on Truth Social that the summit would take place on Friday, August 15, in Alaska, which was confirmed by Putin's aide Yury Ushakov who described the location as "logical." I welcome the upcoming meeting between President Donald J. Trump and Russia's President Putin being held here in the great state of Alaska. Alaska is the most strategic location in the world, sitting at the crossroads of North America and Asia, with the Arctic to our north and… — Governor Mike Dunleavy (@GovDunleavy) August 8, 2025 The Alaska governor agreed, saying on X that his state "is the most strategic location in the world, sitting at the crossroads of North America and Asia," with the Arctic to the north and the Pacific to the south. What happens in the Arctic and the Pacific impacts Alaska before the rest of the country and that it was "fitting that discussions of global importance take place here," he added. Komsomolskaya Pravda praised the choice of Alaska and the absence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the talks, although many details have not been clarified. What People Are Saying Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy on X: "With a mere two miles separating Russia from Alaska, no other place plays a more vital role in our national defense, energy security, and Arctic leadership." Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda: "The two countries are close neighbors, the choice is logical. There are common economic interests in the Arctic, so joint projects are possible." It added: "In Alaska, outsiders are excluded. Only Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be there. No Zelensky, no Europe." What Happens Next When they meet in Alaska, Trump and Putin are expected to discuss a peace plan that would see Ukraine surrendering new territories to Russia Trump himself saying territory could be exchanged for a ceasefire. On Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine's territorial integrity was enshrined in its constitution.
The Hill
19 minutes ago
- The Hill
Graham ‘confident' Trump will walk away from summit if Putin ‘insists on bad deal'
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a major proponent of increased sanctions on Moscow and its allies, signaled Saturday that he supported President Trump's decision to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Invoking former President Ronald Reagan's summit with former Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev before the end of the Cold War and subsequent fall of the Soviet Union, Graham said he was 'confident' in Trump. 'I'm confident President Trump will walk away – like Reagan – if Putin insists on a bad deal,' the South Carolina Republican wrote on social platform X. 'Good luck, Mr. President, in your efforts to end this brutal war.' 'The world should be pulling for you. I know I am,' he added. The remarks follow Trump's announcement Friday that he would meet with the Russian leader in Alaska next week to discuss ending the more than three-year-long war in Ukraine. The president is proposing that the Eastern European nations swap territory in an effort to fast track a peace deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the upcoming summit, has rejected the idea and urged the U.S. to give Kyiv a seat at the table. Trump also brushed off reports that he wanted Putin and Zelensky to speak first. 'He would like to meet with me,' he told reporters Friday, adding, 'and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killing.' The highly anticipated conversation also comes as criticism mounts following Trump's unfulfilled threat to hit Russia with new sanctions. The president originally gave Putin about 50-days to accept terms for a ceasefire but later shortened the timeline as the Kremlin continued to strike Ukraine. Trump has, however, announced up to 50 percent tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil, a move that has seemingly only pushed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi closer to Russia. The secondary sanctions were part of a bipartisan measure led by Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) aiming to defund Russia's war machine. 'Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,' Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this month, but did not issue similar sanctions on China, who is also a major trading partner with Moscow. Lawmakers have largely left the implementation of sanctions in Trump's hands. Graham on Saturday pushed back on critics, lauding Trump for being willing to speak with Putin directly before imposing financial restrictions. 'To those who criticize President Trump for being willing to meet with Putin to end the bloodbath in Ukraine — remember Reagan met with Gorbachev to try to end the Cold War,' the senator wrote. Amid the president's trade restrictions, Putin has touted strong relationships with Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Putin and Modi recently spoke via phone and touted their alliance. '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,' Modi wrote on X. 'I look forward to hosting President Putin in India later this year.'
