NEW DELHI: India on Saturday welcomed the high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held in Alaska, describing their leadership as “commendable” and urging that dialogue and diplomacy must remain the only way forward in resolving the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement, adding that India “appreciates the progress made in the Summit.” The ministry was responding to the near three-hour meeting between Trump and Putin on Friday, their first since the conflict began in 2022, which ended without a ceasefire but with talk of moving directly toward a peace agreement. “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. 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 said. Trump, who has often promised to end the Ukraine war if re-elected, said he and Putin had agreed that a direct peace deal, rather than a ceasefire, was the best path forward. He also announced plans to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Washington next week. Zelenskiy, in turn, expressed openness to “constructive cooperation” and a potential three-way meeting. Though lacking concrete outcomes, the Alaska summit has stirred cautious optimism globally, including in New Delhi, which has consistently called for diplomacy over confrontation. “The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy,” the MEA too has maintained for long. India’s calibrated response reflects its long-standing position on the Ukraine conflict: support for peace without taking sides. While it continues purchasing discounted Russian oil—prompting US threats of secondary tariffs—it has also increased diplomatic and economic engagement with the West. However, Trump’s additional claim that India had “already stopped buying Russian oil” raised eyebrows. New Delhi has made no such announcement and continues to defend its sovereign right to energy diversification.
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