Russia-US talks: Were tariffs on India a way to get Putin to come to the desk? What Trump said

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the secondary tariffs imposed on India could have influenced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s choice to meet him, forward of their scheduled summit in Alaska on Friday. Trump said the tariffs “probably” performed a half in bringing Moscow to the desk as he seeks a peace deal in Ukraine.In an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump said, “Everything has an impact,” referring to the secondary tariffs towards India that “essentially took them out of buying oil from Russia.” He added, “Certainly, when you lose your second largest customer and you’re probably going to lose your first largest customer, I think that probably has a role.”The Alaska summit is meant as a preliminary assembly between the two leaders, paving the way for a second spherical of talks that will additionally embrace Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.The MAGA chief said that he’s primarily targeted on attaining an “immediate peace deal” and in addition that if the first assembly makes progress, he would name Zelenskyy instantly to be a part of the discussions.Earlier this month, Trump imposed steeper tariffs on Indian imports, elevating the charge to 50 per cent for a lot of merchandise, up from 25 per cent, making it considered one of the highest utilized to any US buying and selling associate. India has strongly objected, calling the measures “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” whereas defending its oil purchases as important for nationwide vitality safety and to shield hundreds of thousands from rising gas prices.US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Washington may additional improve secondary tariffs on India if diplomatic efforts in Ukraine fail. Trump has repeatedly burdened that there could be “very severe consequences” for Russia if it doesn’t halt its battle towards Ukraine.