Latest news with #AlaskaSummit
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Russian forces seen donning U.S. flags as experts say 'Trump has rewarded Putin'
Geopolitical analysts say "Alaska [meeting] has emboldened Putin" as images show Russian vehicles wave the U.S. flag Footage from the frontline in southeastern Ukraine appears to show attacking Russian military vehicles donning the United States' flag, days after Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin. The U.S. President wrapped up a week-long visit to Europe with a return to the States and a highly-anticipated meeting with his Russian counterpart, the first meeting between the pair since a 2018 summit. "Our relationship has never been worse than it is now. However, that changed as of about four hours ago. I really believe that," Trump told the media during a brief press conference after the meeting. Prior to the summit, Trump had issued a 50-day ultimatum to Putin, demanding he end his invasion of Ukraine or face severe tariffs against both Russia and its trade partners. Since the turn of the year, Russia has ramped up missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, shifting military focus away from the stagnating frontlines and instead hitting targets, killing civilians, deep into Ukraine. Trump's three-hour meeting with Putin appears not to have resulted in the coveted cease-fire deal the 78-year-old promised repeatedly to achieve within 24 hours of reassuming office. Instead, Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, now with footage appearing to show forces on the Zaporizhzhia front bearing the U.S. shortly after Putin met with Trump. Experts at the Royal Institute of International Affairs think tank, also known as Chatham House, claim Putin has been "rewarded" by Trump following their meeting, emboldening his army to openly flaunt the U.S. flag. "The Alaska to produce any tangible outcome to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine," observed Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy Director of the Russia & Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. "Russia has received a reward for its invasion. Trump called Russia a 'great country' and said there is strong mutual understanding between the two parties. This represents a further fissure in the already shaky Transatlantic alliance, the rupture of which is a primary Russian aim. The Alaska Summit represents another step towards this goal. "Alaska has emboldened Putin, who is likely to prolong, not end, the war." On Monday (August 18), Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside several European leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland, as well as leaders from NATO and the EU Commission. Initial signs from the meeting between the allied parties, which consisted of a meeting between Trump and Zelensky separately, to a wider discussion, appear to show Europe's Coalition of the Willing is prepared to pledge Article 5-like security guarantees to Ukraine. This clause, similar to NATO's model, would see the European nations treat an attack on Ukraine as an attack against all. 'During the meeting we discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which Guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America,' Trump posted to his Truth Social platform. Trump has also cited "land swaps" between the warring nations, which has been criticised by Ukraine since it would, in effect, not be 'swapping' land, instead allowing Putin to keep Ukrainian territory currently under Russian military occupation.
Fox News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
MARK PENN: I'm watching Trump unite Europe while the media pretends it's falling apart
The headlines were all over the news sites. Trump to push for concessions to the Russians. President Donald Trump got nothing from the Alaska Summit. Trump handing over a win to Putin. European leaders are coming to woo Trump. One headline after another dissing the president and his attempt to bring world powers together for peace in Ukraine. News analysts managed to find a negative angle to every single aspect of the attempted negotiations. The reality is obviously different, and the headlines would have been different with just about any other president. Imagine if Nobel Peace Prize-winning President Barack Obama had pulled off meetings with all the combatants directly and in record time. The headlines would have been fawning in admiration, calling for a second Nobel Prize. But that's not what happened. In fact, President Obama sat idly by while Russia rolled into Crimea in March 2014 – the real beginning of the problem. The Russian reset never happened. The red lines were crossed with impunity as the American deterrence withered. As President Trump himself has said, these efforts may fail if Putin is unwilling to end the war, but the effort being undertaken at the highest levels is unprecedented. President Joe Biden could barely attend the G7 meetings and was caught wandering off into space during photo opportunities. The previous president was not capable of the kind of top-to-top diplomacy needed to resolve complex world situations, and the U.S. was at serious risk because of that lapse and the reliance on aides instead. The real danger of the cover-up of the last president's health was not in relation to domestic policy but the way it left the U.S. incapacitated when it came to foreign affairs. Compare that to the country today. We see Trump taking meetings and initiating discussions that usually take months and years to set up. He's pulled it off in days. Diplomacy is about getting people to do things they do not want to do without shooting them. And in that vein, Trump is clearly practicing the fine art of diplomacy, and the press and the country should be rooting for his success, not trying to pick apart everything he does. European leaders dropped whatever they were doing to show up at the White House on Monday to have the kind of allied meeting we have not seen, ever. And this is with all the talk that Trump had damaged the European alliance. Yet the president has pulled off both a trade deal and pan-European negotiations in just a few months. When he got to a certain point, he simply called Putin on the phone in a scene that might have been out of "Dr. Strangelove." Direct conversation, world leader to world leader. Trump may or may not be successful here but he has all parties talking about how they could end a war that has been at a standstill for years – one that has cost over a million lives and counting. Rather than just throw money at the problem as was done by the last administration, Trump has put his presidency and America behind finding a solution outside the battlefield. This is in the finest tradition of what America can and should do as the leader of the free world. America First should never mean allowing the world to spin out of control and become engulfed in endless conflicts. I always say that diplomacy is about getting people to do things they do not want to do without shooting them. And in that vein, Trump is clearly practicing the fine art of diplomacy, and the press and the country should be rooting for his success, not trying to pick apart everything he does. This is what is keeping our country more divided than it can or should be – when one side does something that is clearly good, like trying to solve the world's biggest war, the headlines should reflect that effort, regardless of the party.
India.com
15 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
'It's Possible That He...': Trump Days After Meeting Putin At Alaska Summit
After meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Alaska Summit and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, US President Donald Trump said he believed Putin's action would be clear in the next couple of weeks. In an interview with Fox News' Fox & Friends program, Trump said that Putin and others are tired of the ongoing conflict. He added that the Russian President's actions would become clear in the next couple of weeks, stating, 'It's possible that he doesn't want to make a deal.' Trump earlier threatened more sanctions on Russia and nations that buy its oil if Putin does not make peace. Trump-Putin Meeting Trump and Putin are had conversation along with their top officials on Friday. Putin is accompanied by foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN. Trump is joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff. As per the ANI, White House stated that Trump was "Pursuing Peace," and that the meeting between the two leaders was "Historic". (Read More: Trump's Aide Lindsey Graham Makes Big Claim, Says Russian President Putin Visited Alaska To Save India From 50% Tariff)
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Why does Putin want the Donbas? How ‘fortress belt' region scarred by 11yrs of war is tyrant's top prize in peace talks
PUTIN laid his cards on the table when he declared that he wants the whole of Ukraine's Donbas region in exchange for peace. The eastern zone, home to Ukraine's "fortress belt", would be a valuable prize for Putin with murderous potential - and one he has sought for over a decade. 8 8 8 8 Since invading in 2022, Russia has overrun almost the entire Donbas - comprised of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. But one corner of the Donetsk region remains clinging on. The frontline there accounts for just a fraction of the whole conflict, but suddenly the last remaining sliver of land has been thrust to the heart of the peace conversation. At last week's Alaska summit, Putin declared he would freeze the frontline if Ukraine handed over the last remaining enclave of the Donbas. But Kyiv has consistently rejected the idea of releasing any territory it currently holds - creating a major sticking point in the negotiations. But why is Putin so obsessed by this particular patch? The Donbas is Ukraine's industrial powerhouse and holds rich reserves of coal and metal underground. By taking it all Russia would totally suffocate the vital supply of those fossil fuels to Ukraine. The Donbas is also a crucial strategic location in the conflict. It is a gateway guarding the central heartland of Ukraine - built around Ukraine "fortress belt". Moment warped Russian soldiers taunt Ukraine by flying an AMERICAN flag into battle ahead of crunch Zelensky-Trump talks This refers to a run of fiercely-defenced towns and cities which Russia has so far failed to undo. The valley around the Kazenyi Torets river, which runs through the unconquered region, has been fortified into a defensive stronghold. Over more than a decade, defensive lines have been embedded into the terrain and the slopes measured up for artillery ranges. Ukraine's army knows every inch of the land - hence the Russians have been unable to penetrate it. 8 8 With the Donbas out of the way, Putin's ranks would find it much easier to storm through and take large swathes of central Ukraine in any future attacks. The region also holds a very particular history which means Russia feels a particular claim to it. It has long been one of the most Russian speaking parts of Ukraine, and political loyalties there have sometimes landed in favour of Russia. Donetsk was the home and main power base of Viktor Yanukovych - Ukraine's former president loyal to the Kremlin. Yanukovych was toppled in 2014 and it was in the aftermath of this when Russia seized Crimea. Unrest raged for the next eight years, with a separatist movement fuelled by Russian guns. 8 8 Even though the people of the Donbas firmly backed Zelensky in 2019 votes, Putin used the protection of its residents as a key justification for his so-called special military operation. He recognized two breakaway territories — the self-declared 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic' — before launching his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This thin excuse was debunked within hours when the marauding Russians advanced far beyond its boundaries. While the remaining piece of land demanded by Putin may be small, the future of a vast area would be destabilised if it falls into Russian hands. A former high-ranking Kremlin official previously warned: 'Putin has acted opportunistically; when he launched the invasion he had no fixed territorial limits in mind. 'His appetite grows once he's tasted success.'
NDTV
a day ago
- Business
- NDTV
Who Is Scott Bessent - Tariff Hawk, Yen Man, And India's New Headache?
After a peeved US President Donald J Trump dealt repeated tariff blows, another member of his cabinet is proving to be a tough nut for India. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent told Bloomberg TV last week that India could be hit with sanctions or secondary tariffs on it could go up. That is, if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't play ball and India continues to buy Russian oil. No Deal Here The Alaska Summit between Presidents Trump and Putin did not yield a deal immediately, but hectic trans-Atlantic parleys continue to hold out hope of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine ending soon. The Trump White House believes that the squeeze on Indian purchases of Russian oil brought Putin to the negotiating table in Alaska, although in a post-summit interview with Fox News, Trump seemed to suggest that it did not matter. Bessent has told Europe that it is not doing its part because it is yet to join the US in imposing secondary tariffs on India. "It's put up or shut up time," he told Europe. He termed India a "bit recalcitrant" in trade talks, which failed to produce a deal before the August 9 deadline despite the early momentum set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Trump in the White House in the first month of his presidency. While Elon Musk and JD Vance largely stole the limelight in the early days of the Trump Presidency, Bessent has now emerged as one of the most influential members of the cabinet. He has the President's ear and Wall Street considers him its own insider. Bessent told Bloomberg TV that he expected trade partners to adjust their policies to soften the blow of high tariffs. He also expects exporters to the US to trim margins to keep prices low to soften the impact of new US levies. Almost on cue, India has announced long-pending rationalisation and simplification of its goods and services tax (GST) regime, including speeding up credits and refunds. While the fine-tuning is still on, exporters are expected to benefit as input and financing costs will reduce, allowing them to cut prices, however marginally. The Advice To Japan Another remark by Bessent is likely to bruise India indirectly. In his interview with Bloomberg TV, the US Treasury Secretary publicly advised the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to raise interest rates. "They're behind the curve," said Bessent. "So they're going to be hiking, and they need to get their inflation problem under control." His statement, which he said was his personal opinion, came after a meeting with BoJ governor Kazuo Ueda. He also suggested, mirroring Trump, that the US rates are way too high and wanted the Federal Reserve to sharply hack rates. At the least, it was an unprecedented public reflection of a personal opinion with the intention of creating a favourable global policy environment for the US dollar and American borrowers. While it is not unusual for a country's political leadership and its autonomous central bank to have diverging opinions on where interest rates should be, it has rarely happened that the finance minister of a major economy has publicly offered unsolicited advice to the central bank of another country. The Man Who Broke The BoJ After the remark from "the man who broke the BoJ", as Bessent was once nicknamed in Japan, the yen rose sharply. Bessent puts the BoJ in a quandary. If the central bank raises rates, it could be seen as a result of US pressure, even if the policy was warranted, and markets could start second-guessing every time a US policymaker comments on the country. It also erodes Japanese policymakers' ability to regulate markets with measured comments. Eisuke Sakakibara, Japanese vice finance minister in the late 1990s, was famously called 'Mr Yen' for his ability to swing the currency with his statements. Japan, anyway, is seen as bending backwards to accommodate Trump's demands. It inked a trade deal with the US last month, which includes an unusual investment pledge of $550 billion, to be deployed in core industries at the latter's discretion. A Meeting In 2012 Bessent is an old Japan hand, pally with influential policymakers of that country and, as an investor, has profited immensely from Japan's policies. Even before Japan set about reviving its economy with some radical fiscal and monetary policies under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda, Bessent had his ducks in a row. Writing in the Fall 2022 issue of the International Economy Magazine as the founder and CEO of the hedge fund Key Square Group, Bessent mentions a meeting in 2012 that he and billionaire investor George Soros had with a key advisor to Abe, who was then preparing for his second term as Prime Minister. The advisor told them about the full scope of policies that Abe intended to pursue if he came to power. At the time, Japan was plodding through an inordinately long period of recession, and Abe had vowed to pull it out of the deep rut with "Three Arrows: loose monetary policy, fiscal flexibility, and structural economic reforms". On the way back from the meeting, Bessent writes, Soros asked him if Abe's plan would work. "I'm not sure whether it will work, but it will be the market ride of a lifetime," he replied. As Abe rolled out his radical agenda, fund managers piled into Japanese assets and needless to say, Bessent and friends made bank. Central banks the world over coordinated their policies for many years in response to the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09. That informal pact crumbled in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Japan held on to its ultra-loose monetary policy for more than a decade, until March 2024, when the BoJ raised its benchmark interest rate from negative 0.1% to 0.1%. Unexpectedly, it pushed it up again to 0.25% in July that year. March 2024 was the first time in 17 years that Japan had raised interest rates. How India Gets The Stick BoJ's surprise rate hike in July 2024 caught the market unawares, and the "yen carry trade" was badly impacted. The yen was a favourite currency of investors to borrow in because of the low interest rates and the country's economic size and stability. The borrowings were typically converted to US dollars to invest in lucrative assets elsewhere in the world. This is called the "yen carry trade". A chunk of that money found its way to Indian equities. The July hike led to a quick unwinding the world over, including India. To be sure, the impact was short-lived. A rate cut in Japan was not expected in the short term, but persistent inflation may compel the BoJ to raise them towards the end of the year. Timing and magnitude surprises could occur if pushed by the US. This time, however, India could feel it harder because of US tariff headwinds. The direct impact of a Japanese rate hike would be on Indian borrowers, whose appetite for yen loans has been increasing. A number of private companies, such as Reliance Industries, Bank of India, REC, Tata Semiconductor, JSW Steel, and PFC, have borrowed in yen. Several infrastructure projects also depend on loans from Japan. While the increase in interest rate may not impact the borrowing cost too much, considering the rates are currently super low, repayment could turn out to be costlier than expected.
