&w=3840&q=100)
US national debt hits record $37 trillion years ahead of projections
AP Washington
US national debt reached record USD 37 trillion.
The national debt eclipsed this new milestone years sooner than pre-pandemic projections.
The Congressional Budget Office's January 2020 projections predicted the US reaching the milestone after fiscal year 2030.
But the debt grew faster than expected as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the US economy and the Trump and Biden administrations borrowed heavily to stabilise the national economy.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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First Post
16 minutes ago
- First Post
Not going to Alaska to 'negotiate for Ukraine', but to 'save a lot of lives', says Trump
US President Donald Trump on Friday said he is not going to Alaska to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine but to bring Putin to the table, emphasising his goal is to save lives President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, on Friday, en route to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. AP US President Donald Trump on Friday said he is not going to Alaska to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine but to bring Putin to the table, emphasising his goal is to save lives. 'I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine,' CNN quoted Trump as telling reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Anchorage, Alaska for a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. When asked whether the US would offer security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal, Trump stopped short of a commitment. 'Maybe,' he said, noting that Europe would need to take the lead. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, he made it clear that such guarantees would not include Ukraine joining Nato. 'Not in the form of Nato,' he said, adding, 'There are certain things that aren't going to happen.' More from World 7 things to expect from Trump-Putin Alaska summit Trump also dismissed any notion that his efforts are motivated by personal gain. 'I'm not doing this for my health. OK, I don't need it,' he said. 'I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives.' On potential consequences for Russia should Putin refuse to negotiate seriously, Trump warned, 'Yes, it will be very severe,' referring to possible economic measures against Moscow. Highlighting the positive tone of US-Russia relations, Trump acknowledged the presence of Russian business leaders accompanying Putin to the summit. '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 solved,' he said. Asked if business discussions would be part of the agenda, Trump said, 'If we make progress, I would discuss it, because that's one of the things that they would like; they'd like to get a piece of what I built in terms of the economy.' Despite acknowledging the challenges, Trump expressed cautious optimism about the summit's outcome. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Look, he's a smart guy. Been doing it for a long time, but so have I. I've been doing it for a long time, and here we are: We're president,' Trump said. 'We get along. There's a good respect level on both sides, and I think, you know, something's going to come of it," he added. Counting on America, says Zelenskyy Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underscored the high stakes of the Trump-Putin meeting, stressing that Ukraine will be 'counting on America' and calling for a substantive trilateral discussion involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia. '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,' CNN quoted Zelenskyy as saying in a statement. '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,' he added, noting he is awaiting an intelligence report on 'the current intentions of the Russian side and its preparations for the meeting in Alaska.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
India.com
16 minutes ago
- India.com
Trump Vs Putin: কেন আলাস্কায় বৈঠক রাশিয়া-আমেরিকার?
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India.com
16 minutes ago
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Echoes of Yalta on Alaskan Ice: Trump and Putin Meet While the World Watches
US President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, August 15, 2025, at 11:00 PM (IST) to discuss possible ways to end the war in Ukraine. This meeting comes at a time when Europe feels directly threatened by Russia, its relationship with the US is under strain, and Ukraine's future is uncertain. Yet, leaders from Europe and Ukraine will not be part of the talks. In a way, this summit in Anchorage, Alaska, is similar to the 1945 Yalta Conference (resort city on the Crimean Peninsula, by the Black Sea.), when the US, UK, and Soviet Union decided the future of post-war Europe without including France's leader, Charles de Gaulle. This means that, just like in 1945 when key decisions about Europe were made without one of its important leaders being invited, the Trump-Putin meeting will also discuss major issues — in this case, the war in Ukraine — without including leaders from Europe or Ukraine, even though the outcome will directly affect them. The Meeting And Venue This will be the first face-to-face meeting between the US and Russian presidents since June 2021, when Putin met then US President Joe Biden in Geneva. That meeting ended badly, and eight months later, Russia invaded Ukraine. Putin will also become the first Russian leader to visit Alaska. The US bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million. His last visit to the US was in 2015 to attend United Nations events. The meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will be Putin's first with Trump since Trump became US President again in January. During Trump's first term from 2017 to 2021, he and Putin met in person six times. Their last meeting was on June 28, 2019, at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a large military base in Anchorage, Alaska. It combines an Air Force base (Elmendorf) and an Army base (Fort Richardson) into one facility. It is used for training, housing troops, and supporting military operations in the Arctic and Pacific regions. Hosting the Trump-Putin meeting here gives it extra security and keeps it away from busy public areas. Inside Trump's Mind Trump had once boldly said he could end the war in just 24 hours. About a month after becoming President, he spoke on the phone with Putin — a leader he often said he had known well for years — for an hour and a half (90 Minutes). On February 18, top US and Russian officials met in Riyadh — their first face-to-face meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Ten days later, Trump and Vice President J D Vance openly scolded Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of the media at the White House. At that point, Putin appeared to be in a stronger position. In April, after talks led by Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and France's President Emmanuel Macron, Trump met Ukraine's President Zelenskyy at the Vatican and called it 'very productive.' Later, he wrote on social media that Putin had no reason to fire missiles at civilian areas. In July, Trump told the BBC that he was 'disappointed in' Putin, but was 'not done with him' yet. Just hours earlier, Trump had announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned that Russia would face strong tariffs if a ceasefire deal was not reached within 50 days. The President then cut this deadline to 10 days, saying he was disappointed with Putin. He complained that after their 'nice' and 'respectful' talks, Russia still carried out missile attacks on civilians. On August 7, just a day before the deadline, Trump said the next move was Putin's — 'It's up to him… Very disappointed.' This week, Trump tried to lower expectations for the Alaska summit. He said, 'This is really just a first meeting to understand each other,' and predicted he would know 'probably in the first two minutes' if a deal was possible. But on Wednesday,13th August, after an online meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders, which he called 'a 10' (meaning excellent) and 'very friendly', Trump warned of 'severe consequences' if Putin refused to make a deal. Trump, who is eager to end wars and conflicts, wants to prove to the world that he has brought peace in Ukraine. He also hopes to win the Nobel Peace Prize and seems to feel that Putin is tricking him, which makes him frustrated. Putin's Conditions For Putin, just arriving in Alaska will feel like a win. The West has treated him as an outcast (someone rejected or excluded by others), and he faces war crimes charges, yet he will be standing on American soil. Getting recognition from the leader of the world's most powerful country will show that attempts to isolate him have failed. Putin is making big demands — he wants to keep the Ukrainian territories that Russia currently controls, block Ukraine from joining NATO, and remove Zelenskyy from power. In the past, he has made it clear that for any ceasefire, Ukraine must give up all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. During the Istanbul talks in March, Russia stated that a 30-day ceasefire would begin only after Ukraine completely withdrew from these four regions. He will also want sanctions on Russia to be reduced, as they have hurt its technology and defence industries. Russia's budget deficit is growing, and its earnings from oil and gas exports are under pressure. Zelenskyy Facing the Heat Zelenskyy's main goal right now is a ceasefire — to stop the attacks on Ukrainian cities and the killing of Ukrainians. But Kyiv has also said that for any talks to matter, the next step must be working toward a lasting peace that both sides will respect. 'We agree with President Trump's plan — first have a ceasefire, then sit at the negotiating table and discuss all other issues,' Zelenskyy told reporters this week. The other goal is NATO membership, and Zelenskyy has said Russia 'has no right to block this.' Ukraine also wants ongoing Western military support to strengthen and modernise its armed forces. Ukraine has made it clear that it will not give up any land currently occupied by Russian forces. How India Sees It As Trump tries to pressure Russia, he has put a 25% penalty on India for buying Russian oil, along with 25% tariffs on Indian exports to the US. For Trump, India is the easiest target — the US has little influence over China, which is the biggest buyer of Russian energy. NATO chief Mark Rutte had earlier warned India, China, and Brazil that they could face serious economic penalties if they kept doing business with Russia. Right now, India and Brazil face 50% US tariffs, the highest in the world. India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Putin at the Kremlin last week. The next day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the Russian President, and three days later, Modi called Zelenskyy. The result of the Alaska summit is very important for India. New Delhi hopes that if Trump feels he has achieved a 'win', he might reconsider the 25% penalty. A few hours after Trump announced his meeting with Putin, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, 'India welcomes the understanding reached between the United States and the Russian Federation.' 'This meeting could help end the Ukraine conflict and create a chance for peace. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said many times, 'this is not an era of war',' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, as reported by Indian Express. Along with hoping the penalty for buying Russian oil is removed, India is also interested in helping rebuild Ukraine once the war is over. India will also watch how China acts in the peace talks, and whether the US — after ending the Ukraine war — can turn its focus back to the Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China, Indian Express reports. ——E.O.M (Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. Contact: girishlinganna@ )
