India welcomes Putin-Trump talk in Alaska, appreciates progress made in Summit

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia."

"Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable," the statement said.

"India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy," the MEA said.

The Ministry said the world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Trump and Putin joined for a joint press briefing after meeting for more than two hours, despite failing to reach a concrete agreement on the Ukraine issue.

During the press briefing, Putin described the talks as a "constructive atmosphere of mutual respect."

"Today's agreement will be the starting point not only for the solution in Ukraine, but will also help us bring back business…between Russia and the U.S.," Putin was quoted as saying during the briefing by Fox News.

Trump described the meeting as 'extremely productive'.

Speaking on the peace deal, he was quoted as saying by Fox News: "There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say. A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway."

The US imposed 50 percent tariff on imports from India.

The Trump administration, which was earlier viewed as India-friendly, has slapped a 25 percent tariff on the South Asian country for its high tariffs on American exports and the rest for purchasing oil from Russia which is fighting a war against Ukraine.

The White House, which has singled out India over Russian oil purchase, said the second 25 percent tariff will be effective from August 27, 2025.