Trump lost nothing, but Putin won

Geopolitical experts had a busy week with most eyes glued on the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. Even after the rare meeting between the world’s two most powerful leaders, uncertainties hang over the Eastern European war. There were high hopes that the US would retract the 25 per cent penalty on India after this meeting, but no final decisions have been made yet.

After the discussion, both leaders expressed hope to end the war as soon as possible. Hope is no certainty, though it gives relief to hear such words coming from the world’s most powerful leaders.

The possibility of a US-brokered agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war after the meeting between Zelensky and Trump cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, Trump's tweet on his social media account, Truth Social, that he would not open NATO's door to Ukraine and on Crimea created further complications.

One of Russia's most important demands was that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO. There are also indications that Russia may be willing to give up some of the territories it captured in the war, except for Crimea, only if the West agrees to lift sanctions on Russia. Ukraine is also unlikely to give up Zaporizhzhia, home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

The US tariffs on India are set to take effect at the end of this month. Trump earlier warned that he would impose secondary tariffs on India, but his decision to rescind after the summit in Alaska is a source of hope for India.

"Trump lost nothing. But Putin won," said John Bolton, the US ambassador to the UN and national security adviser. Putin has made great strides in restoring relations with the US. At the same time, Trump will have to hold more meetings to end the war.

Three and a half years have passed since Russia started the war against Ukraine. If the war in Ukraine ends, the Gaza war will follow a similar storyline. Wars are profitable only for arms dealers. It will cripple all other business enterprises. Not only the countries participating in the war, but also many other countries will have to indirectly suffer the consequences. The world is desperate to see an end to this human-made catastrophe and bloodshed.