The Trump-Putin Meeting in Alaska has caused global alarm, as reports indicate it was not smooth. According to Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich, the situation was tense, and she said that President Vladimir Putin seemed to have taken control of the session. The meeting has also put more pressure on India, with Washington threatening its trade tariffs on New Delhi due to its unabated oil importation from Russia.
Trump-Putin Talk Raises Concerns
As Jacqui Heinrich points out, the conversation between Trump and Putin was not good. According to her, Putin was efficient in making his points, showing off with a photo with Trump, and walking away, leaving the impression that Moscow found more out of this interaction than Washington.
U.S. Pressure on India Over Russian Oil
Trump had already stated that Russia had lost an oil customer, India, before meeting Putin. He immediately declared 25 percent tariffs on Indian goods, and later doubled the tariffs after India bought Russian oil. One-half of these tariffs went into force on July 6th, the remainder to take place on August 27th. Secretary Scott Bessent of the United States Treasury emphasized this point by stating that if the Trump-Putin Meeting does not yield improvement, the U.S. would escalate tariffs on India even higher. He also noted that India had been recalcitrant in the current trade negotiations.
India’s Response
India has responded to this pressure by saying that its relationship with the U.S is not just a relationship of trade or energy; it is broad and multidimensional. The Ministry of External Affairs insisted that the links could not be perceived through the perspective of Indian oil imports in Russia.
