Grim news from Trump Putin Summit 1: Continuing Bloodshed in Ukraine, No Relief for India

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A Peace Agreement before a Ceasefire Agreement is grim news for Ukraine, as the air raid sirens in Kyiv and other cities are unlikely to cease in the immediate future.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held the much-vaunted summit in Alaska on August 15^th.  

Mr Trump posted later on platform Truth Social his perception of the way the meeting had gone and the way ahead stating that instead of a ceasefire, going directly to a Peace agreement was decided as the best way. Here is his post -

“A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Key Points of Post Summit Statements

In the post summit media briefing, President Putin said the following issues relevant to making peace on the Ukraine War as indicated in the transcript of the video-

“It is known that there have been no summits between Russia and the US for four years and that's a long time. This time was very hard for bilateral relations and let's be frank they have fallen to the to the lowest point since the cold war. I think that's not benefiting our countries and the world as a whole”.

“In preparation of the Summit several rounds of talks were held by the staff where  Mr Putin said, “ that one of the central issues was the situation around Ukraine. We see the strive of the administration and President Trump personally to help facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and his strive to get to the crux of the matter to understand this history is precious.

“As I've said, the situation in Ukraine has to do with the fundamental threats to our security. Moreover, we've always considered the Ukrainian nation and I've said it multiple times a brotherly nation. However strange it may sound in these conditions, we have the same roots and everything that's happening is a tragedy for us and terrible wound.

“Therefore, the country is sincerely interested in putting an end to it. At the same time, we're convinced that in order to make the settlement lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict. And we've said it multiple times to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole”.

“And I agree with President Trump as he has said today that naturally the security of Ukraine should be insured as well. Naturally, we are prepared to work on that. I would like to hope that the agreement that we've reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine”.

We expect that Kiev and European capitals will perceive that constructively and that they won't throw a wrench in the works. They will not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings on to conduct provocations to uh torpedo the progress,” said Mr Putin as per the Transcript of the video.

Mr Trump in his statement said amongst other issues on the current situation thus, “I will say that I believe we had a very productive meeting. 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. So uh there's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up uh the various people that I think are appropriate and I'll of course call up President Zalinsky and tell them about today's meeting. It's ult ultimately up to them”.

As the meeting was ongoing the battlefield was active with Russian armed forces carrying out attacks on to seize Pokrovsk, a key highway and rail junction in eastern Donetsk.

Russian forces had reportedly seized the village of Yablunivka and the settlement of Oleksandrohrad – both in Donetsk though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, played down the Russian advances, saying on X that his forces were “countering” and “increasing the pressure” on the “occupier”.

“The Russian army continues to suffer significant losses in its attempts to secure more favourable political positions for the Russian leadership at the meeting in Alaska. We understand this plan and are informing our partners about the real situation,” he said.

Reuters reported that Ukraine’s air force had indicated that Russia launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile targeting Ukraine's territory. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said 139 clashes had taken place on the front line over the past day.

Russia on the other hand said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight.

On penalties over tariffs for oil imports curiously President Trump told Fox News that he would not be imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil gut did not mention India slapped with a total 50% tariff on U.S. imports that includes a 25% penalty for the imports from Russia.

All in all, the important fact of the Summit is that is was held and not that there was no breakthrough as none was anticipated.

The bottomline of both sides are unclear for now, though President Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will not pull out from the remaining 30 percent of Donetsk Oblast that it controls.

But the challenge is profound as Russia is insisting on a peace agreement before cease fire, which means the wanton killings will continue. It is like holding a gun to Ukraine’s head, yet Kyiv is unlikely to relent.