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Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump to host Zelensky, European leaders ahead of summit with Putin
Europe and Ukraine's leaders will speak to U.S. 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. Ukraine hopes the meeting will serve - at least partially - as a European counterweight to the summit in Alaska.(AFP File Photo) Trump hosts Putin, a pariah in the West since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, at talks in Alaska on Friday that the U.S. 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 U.S.-Russia summit since 2021, abruptly shifting course after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the U.S. peace initiative. Trump said his envoy had made "great progress" at talks in Moscow. The U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 Zelenskiy and the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union is expected to take place at 1300 GMT (1500 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 U.S. 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, Zelenskiy 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.
Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
AI startup Perplexity offers to buy Google Chrome for $34.5 billion, gets trolled online
If you thought tech drama had peaked this year with Elon Musk backed Grok's AI anime wife 'Anie', think again. In a move that left the internet somewhere between amused and bewildered, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has decided to make an unsolicited offer to buy Google's Chrome browser… for a cool $34.5 billion. Yes, billion — with a 'B.' AI startup Perplexity offers to buy Google Chrome A little backstory The offer, made on Tuesday, August 12, comes as part of Perplexity's ambitious (and possibly delusional) mission to chip away at Google's web-search dominance. But here's the kicker: Perplexity itself is valued at around $18 billion. Which means they're essentially offering twice their own worth to snag Chrome. So how do they plan to make up the difference? According to The Wall Street Journal, Perplexity claims that several investors — including big-name venture-capital funds — have agreed to back the deal in full. The estimated price tag for Chrome varies wildly, with figures ranging from $20 billion to $50 billion. So technically, Perplexity's offer falls within the range — but that doesn't mean Google's about to bite. But the timing of the offer is rather spot on, since this whole saga is unfolding in the shadow of U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta's ruling last year that Google illegally monopolised the search market. While Google is appealing the decision, the judge is expected to rule this month on potential remedies — and while forcing Chrome's sale seems unlikely, Perplexity clearly saw an opportunity to make a splash. The internet has a lot to say The internet reacted instantly, and with brutal honesty. One person summed up the collective disbelief with, 'God give me half the confidence as Perplexity trying to buy Chrome.' Another was less charitable: 'This is truly clown behaviour.' Some brought receipts: 'These clowns bid for literally everything. They also bidden for TikTok. They have no intention to actually purchase anything. They do it just to get attention.' They're not wrong. Back in January 2025, CNBC reported that Perplexity made a play for TikTok, submitting a bid to ByteDance for a merged entity involving TikTok U.S., Perplexity, and new capital partners. As one commenter put it bluntly: 'Did the same shit with TikTok earlier this year. They're making unserious bullshit offers as a way to raise their profile, and the morons in finance journalism are giving them exactly what they want.' Other reactions ranged from cutting to downright comedic: 'I imagine Google would wipe its ass with this offer lol.' Another said, 'Perplexity took the phrase 'fake it till you make it' way too seriously. A bunch of clowns in a circus.' One more comment read,'$34.6B and 1 penny is my offer.' And perhaps the most savage of all: 'Perplexity made a $34.5B offer to buy Google's Chrome. I just downloaded it for free in the app store.' Still, not everyone thinks this was just a publicity stunt. Some argued it's actually a masterstroke. As one pointed out, 'A judge is considering divestment from Chrome as a possible antitrust remedy. By making an unsolicited bid, Perplexity is signaling to the judge there is a market for the asset if that's the route he wants to take. I think it's more about Perplexity trying to undermine Google than a pure intentioned acquisition offer from them. Which is, y'know, definitely in Perplexity's best interest. I think it's a sharp but devious idea.' Whether it's genius strategy or just tech theatre, one thing's certain: Perplexity knows exactly how to keep itself in the headlines, but for how long?
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Zelensky says Ukraine, allies must resist Russian 'deception'
Kyiv, Aug 13, 2025 -President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Ukraine and its allies must work together to pressure Russia into ending its invasion, ahead of talks in Berlin with European leaders and US leader Donald Trump. "Pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a fair peace. We must learn from the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception on the part of Russia," Zelensky wrote on social media. Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals By Vaibhav Sisinity View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program "There are currently no signs that the Russians are preparing to end the war," he added. Zelensky is due in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with European leaders and Trump ahead of the US president's summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian leader said he and his team had held more than 30 conversations with world leaders and high-ranking officials ahead of the talks. Live Events The flurry of diplomatic engagements have been overshadowed by rapid, but so far limited Russian push in the eastern Donetsk region, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia. A member of the Ukrainian delegation travelling with Zelensky to Berlin told AFP that the Russian gains around the mining hub of Dobropillia "did not influence" preparation for Wednesday's talks. Zelensky conceded one day earlier that Russian forces had advanced by up to 10 kilometres (six miles), but ruled out swapping territory with Moscow as part of any deal with Russia.
