Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, during which Putin shared an assessment of his recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska last week.
While thanking Putin, PM Modi underlined India’s consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through diplomacy. According to ANI, the two leaders also touched upon several issues of bilateral cooperation to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia.
This also comes as Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are scheduled to hold a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
“Thank my friend, President Putin, for his phone call and for sharing insights on his recent meeting with President Trump in Alaska. India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. I look forward to our continued exchanges in the days to come,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
Thank my friend, President Putin, for his phone call and for sharing insights on his recent meeting with President Trump in Alaska. India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. I look forward to our…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2025
Also Read: Trump Tells Ukraine To Give Up Crimea, NATO Bid
Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting
Zelenskyy announced that he would be meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday for diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, just two days after the “historic” bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska.
The Ukrainian President also welcomed Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia, underlining Kyiv’s commitment to peace and close coordination with international partners.
India-Russia Oil Trade
According to ANI, Trump, in an interview with Fox News, had said that Russia lost India as an oil client while discussing the economic aspect of Putin coming to the table for talks in Alaska.
When asked about the economic side of Putin’s negotiations, Trump referred to India’s role, and said, “Well, they lost an oil client so to speak, which is India, which was doing about 40% of the oil, China as you know is doing a lot… and If I did secondary sanctions, it would be devastating from their standpoint. If I have to do it, I’ll do it; maybe I won’t have to do it.”
Trump’s remarks follow his decision to impose a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports, citing New Delhi’s oil trade with Russia.
On August 7, the US President announced an additional 25 percent tariff against India, and later hinted that more “secondary sanctions” could be imposed in connection with the same dispute.
Following the tariff announcement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in its response, termed the US’s move as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”, declaring that New Delhi will take “all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”
(with ANI inputs)