India welcomes Trump-Putin Alaska summit, calls for early end to Ukraine conflict

India on Saturday welcomed the summit talks in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, saying that the world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.

The two presidents had held extensive talks on Friday but couldn’t reach an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump failed to secure a Ukraine war ceasefire but insisted on Saturday that he would now target a full peace agreement to end the conflict.

Three hours of talks between the White House and Kremlin leaders at an Alaska air base produced no breakthrough but Trump and European leaders said they wanted a new summit that includes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

”India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

”Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable,” it said in a statement.

The MEA said India appreciates the progress made in the summit. ”The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy,” it said.

”The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine,” the MEA added.

Zelenskyy said he will now go to Washington on Monday while European leaders said they were ready to instensify sanctions against Russia after Trump briefed them on the summit and they held their own protracted talks.

Trump remained upbeat about meeting Putin in a post on his Truth Social platform. “A great and very successful day in Alaska!,” he proclaimed, adding that European leaders backed his plan for a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelensky.

“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up,” he added confirming his meeting with Zelenskyy on Monday.

“If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved.”

After the summit, Trump spoke first with Zelenskyy, the White House said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later joined the call, officials said.

With inputs from agencies