During an interview with Fox News Radio, US President Donald Trump indicated that the retaliatory tariffs placed on India might have impacted Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to sit down with him. "Everything has an impact," Trump said, explaining the tariffs "essentially took [India] out of buying oil from Russia."
Earlier this month, Trump announced higher tariffs on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s ongoing purchases of Russian oil. For many products, the tariffs now reach 50 percent, making them among the steepest the US has imposed on any trading partner.
Trump suggested that the tariffs "probably" helped convince Putin to accept the meeting. "Certainly, when you lose your second largest customer and you're probably going to lose your first largest customer, I think that probably has a role," he said.
India, although becoming more of a US strategic ally against China, has an enormous trade surplus with America and enjoys close ties with Russia. These reasons have turned New Delhi into a key point in Trump's worldwide tariff plan, designed to pressure Moscow into negotiating a peace deal regarding Ukraine.
New Delhi denounced the action, describing the tariffs as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," and reiterated it would do everything in its power to protect its national interests.
Asked if he would provide economic concessions to Russia to stop its actions in Ukraine, Trump refused to disclose details, indicating that he did not "want to play my hand in public."
He also stressed that his top priority remains an "immediate peace deal" and said that if the negotiations are successful, he would immediately call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to invite him to join him at the place of the meeting.
Trump will receive Putin in Alaska on Friday for what he characterized as a "feel-out" summit, the first US-Russia encounter since 2021. It comes after an unexpected turn after weeks of venting anger at Putin over opposition to US peace plans.
Uncertainty about the summit has left Europe worried about the possibility of the US and Russian presidents making sweeping judgments and thus pressuring Ukraine into a disadvantageous deal.
Read also| US Marks Pakistan’s Independence Day, Praises Counterterrorism Cooperation
Read also| Indian OSINT Community Debunks Pakistan’s False Claims on IAF Losses: Report
