India welcomes Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, foreign ministry spokesperson says
'The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine,' Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said in a statement.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Riyadh and New Delhi to Promote Roadmap for Economic, Investment Cooperation
India and Saudi Arabia are working diligently to establish a joint roadmap for fostering a dynamic partnership aiming at enhancing economic, investment, and trade cooperation between the two countries. Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, said in an interview with Asharq Al Awsat on Monday that Saudi Arabia is one of India's most trusted and valued strategic partners. He said the ties between the two countries are 'rooted in a rich tapestry of civilizational, cultural, and commercial connections that date back centuries. 'In recent years, the relationship has grown exponentially, evolving into a robust Strategic Partnership that spans key sectors — politics, defense, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, health, education, and culture'. He pointed to the 'landmark State Visit of the Honorable Prime Minister to the Kingdom in April 2025 was a true reflection of this deepening bond. The Prime Minister of India and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had highly productive engagements in Jeddah, resulting in key outcomes — including the agreement on establishment of two India-Saudi joint venture refineries in India, and MoUs in Health, Postal cooperation, Space cooperation and Sports (anti-doping)'. 'The second leaders meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) was also co-chaired by the two leaders during this visit. The Council reviewed the work of the various committees, subcommittees and working groups under the SPC, which encompass political, defense, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, agriculture, culture and people-to-people ties. The discussions were followed by signing of the minutes by the two leaders. To reflect the deepening of the strategic partnership over the past few years the Council decided to create two new ministerial committees under the SPC; one on Defense Cooperation and another on Tourism and Cultural Cooperation'. The Ambassador went on to say that 'India and Saudi Arabia are not only consolidating a dynamic partnership but also charting a bold vision for the future. Together, we are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping peace, progress, and prosperity at both regional and global levels'. On the most important areas of economic, investment, and trade cooperation between the two countries, he said: 'As the fastest-growing G-20 economies, India and Saudi Arabia are natural economic partners. Our partnership is vital not just for our own prosperity, but also for the resilience and stability of the global economy, particularly at a time of global uncertainty. 'Trade and investment form the economic backbone of our relationship,' he stated, 'both countries have built strong institutional frameworks including a Ministerial Committee on Trade, Economy, Investment, and Technology, and a High-Level Task Force on Investment co-chaired by HRH the Saudi Energy Minister and India's Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. Our economic visions — Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia and India's Viksit Bharat 2047 — complement each other, creating vast synergies for growth'. On the volume of trade exchange and its growth rate, the Indian Ambassador stated: 'India-Saudi Arabia trade has witnessed impressive growth in recent years. In FY 2024–25, bilateral trade touched approximately USD 42 billion. India is now Saudi Arabia's second-largest trading partner, while the Kingdom ranks fifth for India. He went on to say: 'Trade has diversified significantly. India exports engineering goods, rice, chemicals, vehicles, textiles, food products, and gems & jewelry to the Kingdom. On the other hand, we import crude oil, LPG, fertilizers, plastics, and chemicals from Saudi Arabia. There is a strong momentum to further expand trade — especially in promising sectors like pharmaceuticals, processed food, advanced manufacturing, gems and jewelry, and high-value engineering goods. 'A prospective Free Trade Agreement between India and the GCC would be a game-changer — unlocking even greater potential for trade and investment'. He noted that 'India's private sector has embraced Saudi Arabia as a hub of opportunity. Indian businesses are actively exploring the Saudi market, especially in light of the transformational opportunities offered under Vision 2030. The number of licensed Indian companies in the Kingdom surged from 400 in 2019 to over 2,900 by 2023, with a large quantum of investments. Many Indian companies have shifted their regional headquarters to Saudi Arabia and a number of them are participating in Iktiva program of Aramco. 'Indian companies are contributing significantly to mega and giga projects under Vision 2030 — spanning civil infrastructure, energy, power transmission, oil & gas, renewable energy, and more. Our technology firms are also playing a central role in the digital transformation of Saudi Arabia. There is increasing interest from Indian businesses in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, logistics, mining, minerals, MSMEs, and startups — all sectors vital to both economies' future. 'This is truly a two-way street. Saudi companies too have vast opportunities to invest in India's transformation into a developed economy — especially in infrastructure, logistics, renewable energy, health, and utilities. Saudi Arabia has committed to investing $100 billion in India. The growing corporate synergy between our two countries will be a cornerstone of the bilateral partnership going forward'. On the latest developments in the India–Saudi Arabia electricity interconnection project, Dr. Khan said that 'Energy has long been a pillar of India–Saudi Arabia relations. As India powers ahead toward becoming a developed economy by 2047, our energy needs will grow — and Saudi Arabia remains a reliable and strategic partner in meeting them. But the future is green. India has set an ambitious target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, and we're actively collaborating with Saudi Arabia on clean and sustainable energy — including solar, wind, and hydrogen. 'One exciting area of cooperation is electrical grid interconnectivity. An MoU was signed in 2023 on Electrical Interconnections, Green Hydrogen, and Supply Chains, during MENA Climate Week. We're jointly exploring the technical and commercial viability of connecting our power grids. This initiative also complements the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) launched in 2023, which envisions a more integrated, sustainable, and secure regional energy network. As we advance, energy connectivity will become a major lever of strategic alignment between our two nations', he concluded.
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Zelensky arrives at White House for high-stakes talks with Trump
WASHINGTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was greeted by US President Donald Trump at the White House Monday ahead of high-stakes talks aimed at bridging big differences over a peace deal with Russia. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Finland, as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, also arrived for the talks, demonstrating support for Ukraine as Trump presses Kyiv to make concessions. Air raid sirens sounded over Kyiv on Monday, AFP journalists heard, at the same time as the Europeans were arriving. Russian strikes overnight killed at least seven people. Following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, Trump said Ukraine must give up Crimea and abandon its NATO ambitions — two of Moscow's top demands. Zelensky was scheduled for a one-on-one with Trump in the Oval Office, scene of an astonishing meeting in February February when the US president and his deputy JD Vance publicly berated the Ukrainian. Trump will later meet separately with the European leaders. Trump, 79, said it was a 'big day at the White House' but appeared to be in a combative mood, churning out a string of social media posts. 'I know exactly what I'm doing,' the Republican said on his Truth Social network. 'And I don't need the advice of people who have been working on all of these conflicts for years, and were never able to do a thing to stop them.' The European leaders held a preparatory meeting with the Ukrainian president in Washington on Monday morning, while Zelensky also met Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg. Zelensky described the talks at the White House as 'very serious' — and sought to flatter Trump ahead of the meeting, by echoing his trademark 'peace through strength' language. 'President Trump has that strength. We have to do everything right to make peace happen,' he said. Zelensky later called on social media for a 'reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe' and said they would discuss Western security guarantees for Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on the plane to Washington: 'We've got to make sure there is peace, that it is lasting peace, and that it is fair and that it is just.' Reports had said Putin would be open to Western security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of any peace deal — but had ruled out Kyiv's long-term ambition to join NATO. Russia kept up its attacks on Ukraine ahead of the new talks, killing at least seven people, including two children, in dozens of drone and ballistic missile strikes overnight, Ukrainian officials said. The Trump-Putin summit in Alaska failed to produce a ceasefire in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. After, Trump dropped his previous insistence on a ceasefire in favor of seeking a complete peace deal, meaning negotiations could proceed while the war goes on. He also alarmed Kyiv and European capitals by repeating a number of Russian talking points. Trump said Sunday that Zelensky could end the war 'almost immediately, if he wants to' but that, for Ukraine, there was 'no getting back' Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and 'NO GOING INTO NATO.' US media reports have said Putin would consider freezing much of the current frontline in Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to completely give up the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Moscow had made 'some concessions' on territory. But such a move is widely viewed as unacceptable for Ukraine, which still holds much of the resource-rich area. Yevgeniy Sosnovsky, a photographer from the captured Ukrainian city of Mariupol, said he 'cannot understand' how Ukraine would cede land already under its control. 'Ukraine cannot give up any territories, not even those occupied by Russia,' he told AFP. Kyiv and European leaders have warned against making political and territorial concessions to Russia, whose assault on Ukraine has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
What to Know About Zelenskyy's Meeting with Trump
US President Donald Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday to discuss how to end Russia's three-year war in Ukraine. Months of US-led diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting haven't made headway, but the stakes have risen since Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. After that summit, Trump abandoned the requirement of reaching a ceasefire in order to hold further talks and aligned with Putin's position that negotiations should focus on a long-term settlement instead. The presence of several European leaders at the talks in Washington shows how central the conflict — and any settlement — is to wider security questions on the continent. They are looking to safeguard Ukraine and Europe more broadly from any further aggression from Moscow, but also are providing a show of support for Zelenskyy after his last visit to the White House led to an angry confrontation. The American and Ukrainian leaders are scheduled to first meet privately, without the Europeans. On 'Trump's ultimate policy towards the Russia-Ukraine war hangs not just the future of Ukraine security, but Europe's as well,' said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. 'The stakes could not be higher for the continent.'' Here's what to know about the Washington meeting. The talks could be a pivotal moment in the war After meeting Putin in Alaska, Trump is making a big push for a breakthrough. A lot of issues need to be resolved, however, and the two sides have previously established red lines that are incompatible, including questions of whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraine's army and whether the country will have any guarantee against further Russian aggression. In a post on social media Sunday night, Trump appeared to shift the burden for ending the war to Zelenskyy, whose country was invaded in February 2022. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' he wrote. A comprehensive peace deal could still be a long way off. Putin wants the Donbas As a condition for peace, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the most intense fighting but that Russian forces have failed to capture completely. In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russia's illegal 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. As part of a deal, Putin has said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense pledge, according to a senior US official. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff called that a 'game-changing' step though he offered few details on how it would work. Ukraine has long pressed for some kind of guarantee that would prevent Russia from invading again. Ukraine won't surrender land to Russia Zelenskyy has rejected Putin's demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since the Ukrainian Constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land. That also means he can't cede Crimea either. Instead, freezing the front line, which snakes roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from northeastern to southeastern Ukraine, seems to be the most the Ukrainian people might accept. Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory. Europe's security is also at stake European leaders see Ukraine's fight as a bulwark against any Kremlin ambitions to threaten other countries in eastern Europe and beyond. French President Emmanuel Macron described Ukraine as an 'outpost of our collective defense if Russia wanted to advance again.' 'If we are weak with Russia today, we'll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too.' Macron said Sunday. The European political heavyweights expected in Washington are Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Civilians are killed as the fighting continues Ukraine has in recent months been losing more territory against Russia's bigger army, and Moscow's forces breached Ukrainian lines in a series of minor infiltrations in the Donetsk region ahead of the Alaska summit. But there is no sign of a looming, major Russian breakthrough on the front line. Both sides have also kept up their daily long-range strikes behind the front line. A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, killed six people late Sunday, including an 18-month-old and a 16-year-old, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov. The attack on the northeastern city injured 20 others, including six children, he said. Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday reported intercepting 23 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the annexed Crimean peninsula overnight.
