Alaska red flag for India as Trump heads out for Putin meeting
When elite Indian Air Force pilots, including the celebrated Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, India's first female Rafale flyer, participated in US-led Red Flag exercises in Alaska at the Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force Bases (AFBs) a year ago, flying half way across the world with a panoply of India's air assets including Russian-made jets, little could anyone have imagined that Washington would be red-flagging New Delhi for buying oil for Moscow.
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But here we are: As US President Donald Trump headed out to the very same Elmendorf AFB to meet Russia's leader Vladimir Putin on Friday, Trump aides left little doubt that India would pay the price if Washington failed to bend Moscow to its whim.
"If things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs (on India) could go up," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview to Bloomberg TV, setting the stage for New Delhi to be the fall guy, while providing an off-ramp for China, which buys more Russian oil than India does.
Maintaining that he's 'not going to get ahead" of the mercurial President, who's "the best at creating leverage for himself," Bessent offered a remarkable insight into why western powers are reluctant to punish China: when he asked the leaders at the table at the recent G7 summit in Canada whether they were willing to put a 200 per cent secondary tariff on Beijing, "everybody wanted to see what kind of shoes they were wearing," a reference to China's manufacturing might that has the west in a stranglehold.
Bessent's remarks came even as Trump tempered expectation from what will be the Putin's first visit to America in nearly a decade and the first domestic U.S.–Russia summit since 1988, saying it could just be a prelude to a tri-lateral meeting that will also bring in Ukraine's leader Voldymyr Zelansky within days. The US President will meet the Russian leader in one-on-one closed-door meeting kicks off at 11:30 am Alaska time, followed by a broader delegation session over a working breakfast at the Elmendorf AFB.
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Business Standard
9 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Donald Trump heads to 'high stakes' Alaska summit with Putin on Ukraine
Donald Trump headed to Alaska on Friday for what he called a "high stakes" summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin to discuss a ceasefire deal for Ukraine to help end the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising - if only informally - Russian control over one fifth of Ukraine. Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them at a table," he said. Both the U.S. and Russian presidents, due to meet at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska's largest city, are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House. Trump, who casts the war as a "bloodbath" fraught with escalatory risk, is pressing for a truce in the 3-1/2-year-old war that would bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win as he can use it to say that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow has retaken its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy. The summit, the first between a U.S. and Russian leader since 2021, was set to start at 11 a.m. Alaska time (1900 GMT). Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher nut to crack than he thought. He said that if Friday's talks went well, quickly arranging a second three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin. "It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Friday, adding that the Trump-Putin meeting should open the way for a "just peace" and three-way talks with him included. 'SMART GUY' Of Putin, Trump said on Friday: "He is a smart guy, been doing it for a long time but so have I... We get along, there's a good respect level on both sides." He also welcomed Putin's decision to bring a lot of businesspeople with him to Alaska. "But they're not doing business until we get the war settled," he said, repeating a threat of "economically severe" consequences for Russia if the summit goes badly. One source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs that Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine given that Putin understood Russia's economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war. Reuters has previously reported that Putin might be willing to freeze the conflict along the front lines, provided there was a legally binding pledge not to enlarge NATO eastwards and to lift some Western sanctions. Russia, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, is vulnerable to further U.S. sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India. "For Putin, economic problems are secondary to goals, but he understands our vulnerability and costs," the Russian source said. On the eve of the summit, Putin held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February next year. COMMON GROUND? The source familiar with Kremlin thinking said it looked as if the two sides had been able to find some common ground. "Apparently, some terms will be agreed upon... because Trump cannot be refused, and we are not in a position to refuse (due to sanctions pressure)," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity. Putin has so far voiced stringent conditions for a full ceasefire, but one compromise could be a truce in the air war. Putin has said he is open to a ceasefire but has repeatedly said the issues of verification need to be sorted out first. Zelenskiy has accused Putin of playing for time to avoid U.S. secondary sanctions and has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory. Beyond territory, Ukraine has been clear in talks with Western allies that it needs a security guarantee backed by Washington. It is unclear how that guarantee could work - and what part the U.S. would play in it. Ukrainians who spoke to Reuters in central Kyiv on Friday were not optimistic about the Alaska summit. "Nothing good will happen there, because war is war, it will not end. The territories - we're not going to give anything to anyone," said Tetiana Harkavenko, a 65-year-old cleaner.
Indian Express
9 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump boards flight to Alaska, says Putin ‘won't mess around' as Russian leader time-travels into second Friday
US President Donald Trump on Friday boarded the Air Force One for a seven-hour flight to Alaska to meet the Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in four years. Hours before boarding, the US President said he believes Putin wants to make peace in Ukraine and will not 'mess around' when they meet today. President @realDonaldTrump arrives at Air Force One 🇺🇸 — Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) August 15, 2025 'And if it's a bad meeting, it'll end very quickly. And if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future,' he warned. Trump, who has long argued the war 'should have never happened,' said that if he were not president, Putin 'would take over all of Ukraine.' He added: 'But I am President, and he's not going to mess around with me.' Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said Putin is 'a smart guy' and they 'get along,' with 'a good respect level on both sides,' adding, 'I thought something is going to come up.' 'I noticed he's bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that's good. I like that because they want to do business, but they're not doing business until we get the war stopped.' On Russian attacks on Ukraine, Trump said he thinks Putin 'is trying to set a stage' that 'in his mind… helps him make a better deal,' but added, 'it actually hurts him, and I will be talking to him about it.' Asked if talks would cover territorial issues, Trump said: 'They'll be discussed, but I've got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they'll make a proper decision, but I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I'm here to get them at a table. And I think you have two sides. Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine. If I wasn't president, he would, right now, be taking all of Ukraine, but he's not going to do it.' On possible US security guarantees for Ukraine, he said: 'Maybe, along with Europe and other countries. Not in the form of Nato, because… there are certain things that aren't going to happen. But yeah, along with Europe, there's possibility …' Confirming his earlier warning to Moscow, Trump said: 'Economically severe. It will be very severe. I'm not doing this for my health, okay, I don't need it. I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives. Yeah, very severe.' 'High stakes!' Trump posted on Truth Social before boarding his flight to Anchorage, where he will host Putin in what is being billed as a historic summit, the Russian leader's first visit to the West since the war began in February 2022. Putin made a stop in Russia's far eastern city of Magadan on his way to Alaska for Friday's summit with Trump. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin's visit to Magadan is a 'full-fledged regional trip,' including a tour of an industrial plant and talks with the regional governor. 'The city is important. Putin has been there many times, even when he was prime minister,' Peskov told state news agency TASS. The journey from Moscow to Magadan takes roughly eight hours, followed by another four-hour flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where the high-stakes meeting will be held. Because of the time zones he will cross, Putin will, in effect, experience two Fridays — one in Magadan and the other in Alaska. The US delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Joining Putin on the Russian side are Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Russian Direct Investment Fund chief Kirill Dmitriev, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Zelenskyy posted on social media that he expects a report from Ukrainian intelligence today 'on the current intentions of the Russian side and its preparations for the meeting in Alaska.' I held a Staff meeting to discuss three key issues. The front, particularly the Pokrovsk sector. We are countering the attempts of Russian forces to gain a foothold and increasing the pressure of our units on the occupier. We are succeeding. Units of the 79th and 82nd Air… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 15, 2025 Responding to Trump's earlier remarks, he said: 'Indeed, high stakes. The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side. It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America. We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible.' (With inputs from The Guardian, CNN, Reuters and Associated Press)
Indian Express
9 minutes ago
- Indian Express
US-China tariff truce holds, ‘unprecedented' deal with Nvidia, and more
On Monday (August 11), US President Donald Trump extended his country's tariff truce with China for an additional 90 days, till November 10. Discussions between senior officials in Stockholm in late July had previously hinted at another extension, even as higher US tariffs have been imposed on several countries of late, including India. However, that doesn't mean all is smooth sailing in China-US trade, and the race for dominating the artificial intelligence domain saw something quite unusual this week. The Financial Times reported that the US government allowed the semiconductor giant Nvidia to sell previously restricted AI chips to China, if they agreed to pay a certain percentage of the sale to the government. Last week, we noted the reports of Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely visiting China next month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Now, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit India on August 18 for the Special Representative-level talks (the SR mechanism is for discussing border issues) with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The Wall Street Journal also reported this week that Liu Jianchao, a key Chinese diplomat, was picked for questioning by authorities. Then on Friday, Reuters reported that a deputy to Liu, Sun Haiyan, was also detained. We wrote about Liu and what such 'disappearances' say about the Chinese establishment here. Bloomberg also reported that amid the greater bilateral engagements under the recent normalisation in India-China ties, direct flights may be resumed soon. Here is a closer look at these developments: A statement from the White House said that the tariff pause will provide time for 'remedying trade imbalances' and 'unfair trade practices'. 'Each round of negotiations with the Chinese has built on each other… to work toward fair and balanced trade with a key trading partner,' it said. Trump was also quoted as saying, 'We're getting along with China very well.' UPSHOT: An editorial in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece Global Times appreciated the development: 'This shows that China and the US are managing differences and expanding cooperation in an equal, pragmatic and constructive way.' That high tariffs were unsustainable in the long run was clear from the get-go, but many assumptions have been proven wrong. For example, the US has been the one to repeatedly ask China to come to the negotiating table, and China has been the only nation to counter with its own tariffs on the US — indicating both the intention and ability to challenge its actions. Simultaneously, the latest US economic data shows inflation remained moderate, despite the initial fears of American consumers quickly being impacted. There are several reasons for this, like the eventual lowering of tariff rates, but the prevalent view remains that the effects will show at some point. As the GT article noted, 'Data shows that China's exports to the US have declined for four consecutive months.' It would thus make sense for both sides to push for a settlement. Almost exactly a month ago, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang visited China. Around the same time, the company announced it was filing applications 'to sell the NVIDIA H20 GPU again', saying the US government assured it of requisite licenses. Now, Nvidia has agreed to pay the US government 15 percent of the money made from selling H20 chips to China, the FT reported on Monday. Another US chipmaker, AMD, will do the same for its MI308 chip revenues. Altogether, the deal was estimated to bring about $2 billion to the government, The New York Times said. UPSHOT: The US government restricted both these chips in April this year, over concerns that they would help accelerate the pace of AI development in China, and their potential military applications. This was seen as a progression of the Joe Biden-era restrictions on advanced AI chips being sold to China. In fact, the lower-quality H20s were designed to circumvent the directive. Huang had previously argued for allowing the sale, saying it was causing a US company to lose market share and allowing Chinese companies like Huawei to fill the gap. However, critics argued that China would stand to gain a significant strategic advantage with Nvidia products. This is also why the latest deal has been described as 'unprecedented'. Liza Tobin, a China expert who served on the National Security Council in the first Trump administration, told the FT, 'What's next — letting Lockheed Martin sell F-35s to China for a 15 per cent commission?' Notably, China has previously demanded the entry of H20s, but it may be changing its stance now, given its indigenous push to become self-reliant. A state media-affiliated author recently wrote an article criticising the H20. 'When a type of chip is neither environmentally friendly, nor advanced, nor safe, as consumers, we certainly have the option not to buy it,' he wrote. The country's cyberspace regulators also summoned Nvidia officials 'over concerns that its H20 artificial intelligence computing chips could be tracked and turned off remotely'. Wang Yi is set to visit India next week. Separately, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that 'India and China are set to resume direct flight connections as soon as next month', citing people familiar with the negotiations. Flights were first restricted amid the Covid-19 pandemic. UPSHOT: Both developments come amid the larger normalisation process that was officially set in motion last October. It was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting during the BRICS summit in Russia. Wang's visit is notable for another reason — it's the first high-level official visit by a Chinese leader to India after Operation Sindoor. Notably, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited China just a few weeks after the conflict with India, where the countries affirmed their 'brotherly' and 'ironclad' relationship. However, India and China also have several outstanding bilateral issues, most importantly concerning the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that serves as the de facto border. The 2020 LAC stand-off also contributed to limited flights and visa approvals, as well as people-to-people exchanges. As The Indian Express earlier reported, in January-October 2024, the total number of flyers (in both directions) between India and China was over 4.60 lakh. This marked a drastic fall from close to a million in the corresponding months of 2019. Beijing also perhaps expects to benefit from a resumption, as Chinese carriers held a dominant share of the direct flight market before the pandemic. However, Air India and IndiGo would also likely want to capitalise on it if resumption happens.
