India's torment over tariff continues as Zelenskyy heads to White House

TOI correspondent from Washington: European leaders, including the heads of France, Germany, Britain, and Italy, will join Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday for talks with President Trump that could determine the future course and fate of many nations, including that of India on the economic front.

The Trump-engineered peace agreement envisages Kiev giving up Russian captured territory in return for non-Nato security guarantees, proposals the Europeans and Ukraine are chary of given the US President's convivial ties with Putin. But challenging Trump also risks continuing a war that Trump thinks Ukraine is certain to lose and fracturing the 75-year old Atlantic alliance that has depended on the US for security.

Zelenskyy will return to the Oval Office on Monday morning with the world's eyes trained on the meeting and memories of the shellacking he got from Trump and vice-president Vance for what they saw as ingratitude in the face of adversity. He will also be accompanied by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, as they try to forestall what is essentially a surrender before the emerging Trump-Putin alliance.

The US President exuded confidence ahead of the meeting, posting "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" and excoriating the liberal media for describing the Alaska summit as a win for Putin. "If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal. That’s why they are the FAKE NEWS! Also, they should talk about the 6 WARS, etc., I JUST STOPPED!!!" Trump posted.

But analysts say permitting Russia to keep captured Ukrainian territory sets a dangerous precedent for smaller countries facing bigger neighbors with historical grievances eyeing their territory. Trump though sees Ukraine being in an unwinnable position -- certainly without US support -- and would rather have Kiev sue for peace by conceding lost territory and keeping what remains.

India, which has little to do with the Russia-Ukraine war but has high stakes in a peace deal, looks likely to face several more weeks of agony and uncertainty, as the Ukraine-EU combine puts up resistance against Trump-Putin initiative to end the war while seeking a trilateral meeting to hash out details.

There is growing disapproval among regional experts over Trump's handling of ties with New Delhi, in particular his victimisation of India with punitive tariffs to achieve peace on the Russia-Ukraine front, with visions of a Nobel Prize tagged to it.

"Because US-Russia negotiations are incomplete, the Trump admin can’t make any concrete decisions on India. Washington has put India, a friendly strategic partner, in an indefinite holding pattern—terrible diplomacy on display," Derek Grossman, an Indo-Pacific national security expert said on X, after Washington postponed a visit to New Delhi by a trade team to discuss tariff issues.

Putin himself inadvertently exposed White House hypocrisy towards India as he spoke of a 20 percent increase in Russia-US trade since Trump took office, even as the US President is bearing down on New Delhi for buying Russian oil.

"Tariffing India won’t stop Putin. If Trump really wanted to address Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, maybe punish Putin and give Ukraine the military aid it needs. Everything else is smoke and mirrors," Democrats on the House Foreign Relations committee said over the weekend even as the Republic flock stayed quiet.

Former administration officials and even some current insiders are appalled at the Trump White House's "insensitivity" in managing the India relationship, with criticism about lack of expertise about the sub-continent in the President's inner circle. One former official said the White House appears to have jettisoned inter-agency meetings and national security issues are being piloted by individuals close to the President with little domain knowledge or expertise.

"It's amateur hour at the White House," the former official said as reports emerged of an administration staffer leaving behind sensitive documents on a hotel printer in Alaska after the Trump-Putin meeting.

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