NEW DELHI, August 11. /TASS/. The upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump could be a turning point for international trade and reduce Washington's tariff pressure on New Delhi, former Indian diplomat Ajay Bisaria said in an article for the Times of India newspaper.
"India has welcomed the Alaska initiative, which could also lead to easing of secondary sanctions. India is a key stakeholder: peace in Enrope may be accompanied by an opportunity to repair the collateral damage to Indo-US ties," he said.
According to Bisaria, "if the Alaska summit produces even a modest breakthrough on Ukraine, it could set off a chain reaction: easing trans-Atlantic tensions, creating space for recalibrated sanctions, and lowering tariff heat on India."
At the same time, the expert noted that the failure of the negotiations could further harden Trump's position. Nevertheless, "India should remain calm and negotiate with both firmness and flexibility," he said.
"Trump's tactics - provocative and theatrical - aim to extract the best deal posible. His unflattering comments about India's economy are best met with calm rebuttals, not wounded outrage. The strategic relationship between India and the US, painstakingly built since the formalization of the strategic partnership in 2000, runs deeper than any one dispute," Bisaria emphasized.
On Friday, Trump announced that he expects to meet with Putin in Alaska on August 15. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov then confirmed the plans for these talks. According to him, the leaders will focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump since the latter's return to the White House in January 2025.