Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talked on the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, in an interview with ABC News. Zelensky agreed with the idea that the US should put tariffs on countries that trade with Russia. He said it was a “right idea” when asked if the friendly relationship between the presidents and India’s continued trading with Russia proved that sanctions against Moscow were failing.
Zelensky stated, “I think it’s a good idea to put tariffs on countries that keep doing business with Russia.”
The interviewer brought up the meeting between Modi, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that President Donald Trump had said that the leaders were “going to the dark side” with China. The Trump administration has already put a 50% tax on Indian imports. This includes a 25% “penalty” for India’s large purchases of Russian oil. India, on the other hand, has labelled these levies “unjustified and unreasonable,” saying that national energy security is a top priority.
Zelensky also talked on a meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska last month, saying, “It’s too bad Ukraine wasn’t there.” He claimed that Trump’s meeting provided Putin “what he wanted,” as the Russian leader tried to show that he was legitimate and had a presence around the world.
When asked if he would be willing to talk to Putin about peace, Zelensky strongly said no to going to Moscow for talks. “He can come to Kyiv… He remarked, “I can’t go to Moscow when my country is under missiles,” making it clear that he is willing to meet but not in Russia.
The SCO Summit and US Tariffs in Context
A lot of people around the world are paying attention to Prime Minister Modi’s trip to China for the SCO Summit, where he met with both President Xi and President Putin. The high-profile meetings happened while the Trump administration was putting more economic pressure on trading partners, particularly India, which has some of the highest tariffs from the US.
After the conference, Donald Trump posted a picture of the three leaders on social media and said, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to the deepest, darkest China.” I hope they enjoy a long and happy life together! The US has said that India’s purchase of Russian oil is helping to pay for Russia’s military operations. India has always denied this, saying that its energy decisions are based on what is best for the country.
Experts say that the tariffs have had a big effect on India’s economy. They say that GDP growth may slow down, and Indian exporters have already stopped making goods because of the hefty charges. India, on the other hand, has focused on making changes to its own economy, such as cutting the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by a lot to encourage people to buy more goods and services and lessen the impact of the tariffs.