India on Saturday welcomed the upcoming meeting between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for August 15 in Alaska. In an official statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed hope that the summit could pave the way for peace and bring an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“India welcomes the understanding reached between the United States and the Russian Federation for a meeting in Alaska on 15th August 2025,” the MEA said.

“This meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said on several occasions, ‘This is not an era of war,’” the statement added.

The MEA also said India supports the initiative and stands ready to assist in any way to promote peace.

### Trump-Putin Meeting: What We Know

Donald Trump recently announced that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska. The meeting will mark the first summit between the two countries since 2021, when then-President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Trump said any potential peace deal would likely include **"swapping some territories"** between Russia and Ukraine.

“Nothing easy,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. “But we’re gonna get some back. We’re gonna get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.”

### Zelensky Pushes Back

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly pushed back against the idea of a deal that doesn’t involve Ukraine directly. In a statement on Telegram, he said any peace arrangement negotiated without Ukraine’s participation would be meaningless.

“Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace,” Zelensky said. “They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work.”

As the international community watches closely, the Alaska summit is being seen as a potentially pivotal moment in the two-year-long war that has devastated Ukraine and strained global diplomacy.