The Alaska summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, viewed by many as a key development towards achieving peace in Ukraine, has sparked hopes for India. Former diplomat Veena Sikri believes that the additional tariffs previously imposed by the United States on India could be reevaluated. She suggested that the implementation of tariffs on Indian products might be put on hold.
Sikri’s remarks followed what many consider a transformative meeting between Putin and Trump. She indicated that the issue of tariffs on Russian oil exports to India, China, and the European Union may have been discussed by the two leaders.
“From President Trump’s side, I think there is some kind of discussion on this, definitely with President Putin, and it seems that an understanding has been reached that tariffs on Russia’s oil sales to China, India, and even the EU do not need to be imposed. There might even be a possibility of trade between Russia and America. So, there is talk of that… President Putin talked about it, saying, ‘Oh yes, we have good trade with the USA.’ I think this issue of the additional tariff may not come up; maybe it will be put in abeyance for a while,” Sikri explained.
Although the meeting didn’t produce an agreement to fully end or stop the conflict in Ukraine, both presidents described the talks as successful. The summit might indicate a shift in Washington’s approach to India.