US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Alaska to discuss ending the Ukraine war, but no breakthrough was reached. While Trump called the talks “very well,” he hinted at delaying tariffs on nations buying Russian oil, including India, as Washington reassesses its strategy.
US president, Donald Trump (Photo:IANS)
United States President Donald Trump Saturday indicated that retaliatory tariffs on nations buying Russian oil may be relooked at in the coming weeks but ruled out any immediate measures.
Speaking after his high-stake meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump said the talks went “very well” and hinted that sanctions could be postponed.
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“Well, because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that (tariffs),” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “Now, I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don’t have to think about that right now.”
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Trump’s comments come after his earlier threat to impose sweeping secondary sanctions and 100% tariffs on Russia if Moscow failed to agree to a peace deal within 50 days.
Breaking: Trump refuses to place tariffs on China for buying Russian energy despite tariffing India for the same reason
“I don’t have to think about that right now. I may have to think about it in 2-3 weeks. But the meeting with Putin went well,” says Trump on China tariffs pic.x.com/cEumaWjhmj
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) August 16, 2025
India has already been hit, with Washington levying retaliatory duties of up to 50% on its continued oil trade with Moscow — half of which are in force, with the remainder set to take effect on August 27.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously cautioned that penalties on India could intensify if the Alaska summit produced no breakthrough.
Trump’s latest remarks, however, point to a temporary relief, as the White House reassesses its strategy over Russia’s oil exports.
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, but the talks yielded no results.
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