US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a much awaited meeting on Saturday (16 August 2025) in Alaska. Trump described this dialogue as extremely useful. However, no concrete agreement has been reached yet regarding the Ukraine ceasefire.

Trump said that some issues have been agreed, but work is still left on big issues. There is no agreement until the agreement is done. At the same time, Putin said that some extent has been agreed in the conversation. He appreciated Trump’s friendly conversation. After this talk that lasted for about three hours, the two leaders interacted with the media, but refrained from answering questions.

India and tariff issue

In an interview given before the meeting, Trump, while referring to India, said that Russia has lost a big oil customer. He (Russia) has lost India, which was producing about 40% oil. If I imposed a secondary restriction, it will be disastrous for Russia. Trump had recently announced a 50% tariff imposing a 50% tariff citing Russian oil imports on India. Half a fee i.e. 25 percent tariffs have already come into force on 7 August. The remaining 25 percent will be applicable from August 27. In his executive order, Trump wrote that it is correct and necessary to impose additional value on importing oil from Russia directly or indirectly.

Status on Ukraine-Russia War

The main agenda of the meeting was the Russia-Ukraine war. Putin said that if Trump had been President in 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war would not have started. He warned the European Union not to disrupt the progress made in Alaska’s talks. Trump admitted that there was progress on some issues, but the situation of peace agreement is still far away.

Also read: Donald Trump on Tariff: To buy oil from Russia, India-China will put more tariffs? What did Trump say after a meeting with Putin?