Alaska (Rajeev Sharma): The much-anticipated Alaska meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended without a breakthrough, leaving India facing fresh uncertainty over punitive American tariffs.
Despite warm optics and friendly rhetoric, the two leaders could not resolve their sharp differences on Ukraine. Trump spoke of “considerable progress” and hinted that only a few issues remained, while Putin emphasized hopes for stronger bilateral ties with Washington but stood firm on Russia’s core positions.
For New Delhi, the deadlock is troubling. The U.S. has already tied a new 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports to Delhi’s continued reliance on Russian oil, which has surged since Moscow began offering steep discounts after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
American officials argue that hitting India and other large buyers of Russian crude is key to weakening Moscow’s war chest. Ahead of the summit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled more tariffs could follow if no agreement emerged. Meanwhile, a bill before Congress would give the White House powers to impose tariffs of up to 500 per cent on countries supporting Russia’s economy.
With Europe under pressure to align with Washington, India faces an increasingly difficult choice — either scale back energy ties with Moscow or risk deeper economic fallout in its trade relationship with the United States.
