White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on India to increase pressure on Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine. Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, Leavitt emphasized that the move aims to deter Moscow from continuing the war.
“The president has taken multiple actions, including sanctions on India, to bring this conflict to a close as quickly as possible,” Leavitt said. She added that Trump has expressed urgency in facilitating peace talks and has rejected proposals to delay diplomatic meetings.
The tariffs coincided with high-level discussions at the White House, where Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The meetings aimed to explore a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump confirmed that he has initiated arrangements for a direct meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy, followed by a trilateral session including himself. The location of these talks is yet to be determined. “At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin and began arrangements for a meeting with President Zelenskyy. After that, we will have a trilateral session,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Zelenskyy emphasized that negotiations with Russia should occur without preconditions, warning that setting terms could lead Moscow to reciprocate, potentially jeopardizing talks. “We must meet without any conditions,” Zelenskyy told reporters, while describing his discussion with Trump as warm and substantial.
The White House highlighted that Trump’s efforts aim to bring an end to the nearly four-year-long war while coordinating closely with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Sekar Rao