Trump-Putin Summit: India Lauds 'Pursuit Of Peace', Hopes For Early End To Ukraine Conflict

In its official reaction to the bilateral summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, India said it welcomed the "pursuit of peace" and hopes for an early end to the war in Ukraine.

"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 Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday.

"India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal added.

Trump met Putin in Alaska on Friday, in a meeting that went on for more than two-and-a-half hours, marking their longest in-person meeting. The summit concluded without any agreement on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

In an interview to a news channel, Trump called his meeting with Putin productive but indicated that a path to end the war had still not been finalised, adding that he would speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and tell him to make a deal.

Trump has also indicated that the US may not impose secondary tariffs on countries that continue to import crude oil from Russia. This come as a relief for India, which is facing an additional 25% tariff from Aug. 27 for its purchase of Russian oil.