August 16, 2025

In a spicy turn of events, former US President Donald Trump says his bold move to set heavy tariffs on India might have nudged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down and talk with him! On Fox Radio's Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump shared, "Everything has an impact," when asked about the connection between the tariffs and Putin's decision to meet. Trump explained that the secondary tariffs against India "essentially took them out of buying oil from Russia... 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." This means India and possibly China, two big buyers of Russian oil, were pushed away by these tough US tariffs, squeezing Russia’s income amid the Ukraine war. The much-awaited meeting between Trump and Putin is set for Friday in Alaska. The main agenda? Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump expressed optimism, saying, "I believe now he's convinced that he's going to make a deal," and confidently added, "He's going to make a deal. I think he's going to. And we're going to find out - I'm going to know very quickly." But wait, the drama might not stop there! Trump revealed he is already thinking of a follow-up meeting with both Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He has three places in mind but noted that this second summit isn’t guaranteed yet. "Depending on what happens with my meeting, I'm going to be calling up President Zelenskyy, and let's get him over to wherever we're going to meet," Trump said. This future meeting could open the stage for serious boundary talks, a hot-button issue since Zelenskyy has been very clear about not giving up any territory Russia currently holds. Trump described the potential second meeting as "very, very important," highlighting that it's where the real deal-making will happen. Using a chess metaphor, he said the first meeting is like the opening, setting the board for the next big moves. He added, "This meeting sets up like a chess game. This (first) meeting sets up a second meeting, but there is a 25% chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting." So, hold onto your seats! The upcoming talks could shake things up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and maybe bring a new chapter of peace—or more twists in this high-stakes international game.

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Tags: Donald trump, Vladimir putin, India tariffs, Russia-ukraine war, Us-russia talks, Ukraine peace,