US President faces criticism for conceding Putin’s “election meddling” remark
In a major development in the international political arena President of US Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have committed for improving relations between the two major countries, with Putin saying there was no longer any reason for tensions between their countries.
However, media in both the countries indicate that Trump has lost the battle against Russia while US political circle call it a bad performance by their president in Helsinki.
The two leaders met in the Finnish capital Helsinki on Monday to talk about “everything from trade to military to missiles to China”.
“There are no objective reasons for difficulties [between Russia and the US]. The Cold War is a thing of the past, the situation in the world has drastically changed,” said Putin.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump blamed his country’s past “foolishness and stupidity” for the two powers’ hostile relations.
At a press conference following the summit, Trump praised their “direct, open and deeply productive dialogue” and emphasised the need for continued diplomacy over confrontation. “A productive dialogue is not only good for the United States and good for Russia, but it is good for the world,” he said.
“Our relationship has never been worse than it is now, however that changed as of about four hours ago… To refuse to engage would not accomplish anything.”
Putin said the two countries would need to work together to cope with challenges such as terrorism, international crime, the economy and the environment, while pointing to counterterrorism and cyber security as areas in which they are already doing so.
“As major nuclear powers, we bear special responsibility for maintaining international security,” he said.
Putin said the US and Russia could collaborate to “establish peace and reconciliation” in Syria, with Trump adding by working together to end the conflict, the US and Russia could “save hundreds of thousands of lives”.
The two leaders also committed to securing Israel’s border with Syria in accordance with the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria.
However, quick scanning of Russian and American media indicates that Trump has won while US has lost during the Helsinki summit. Russian media has been appreciative of Putin’s moves while US media and political leaders have started criticizing Trump of being “caved” under Putin’s prowess.
The Moscow Times published its lead story “Trump says ‘No reason to believe’ Russia hacked US election” with a hand-shake picture depicting Putin scaring into Trump’s eyes, give lots of score in favour of Putin.
The story intro say, “US President Donald Trump said on Monday he saw no reason to believe Russia had hacked the 2016 US presidential election to help him win, and Vladimir Putin “was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”
Moscow Times further reports, “At a rambling news conference after a one-on-one meeting with the Russian president, Trump said not a single critical word about Russia on any of the issues that have brought relations between the Washington and Moscow to a post-Cold War low.”
The Russian daily said, “Asked if he trusted U.S. intelligence agencies which concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, he said he had been told by his CIA chief that it was Russia, but that he saw no reason to believe it.”
However, one of the several tweets Donald Trump posted during transatlantic flight taking him to Washington, his words seemed changed:
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
Russian official TASS news agency report says, “Russian President Vladimir Putin has called his summit talks with US President Donald Trump the first move towards “clearing the backlog” of problems in relations between the two countries.
It quoted Putin saying, “Of course, numerous problems persist, and we have failed to clear the backlog in full, it was impossible to do this, but I believe we have made the first important step in that direction.”
Putin said, “The talks with President of the United States Mr. Donald Trump were held in a frank, business-like atmosphere,” he said. “I view them as successful and useful.”
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On the other hand CNN reports that after President Donald Trump’s stunning news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, members of Congress including some powerful Republicans were quick to rebuke Trump’s performance on the world stage and Trump’s refusal to call Putin out for interfering in the US election.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, contradicted several comments Trump made during his Helsinki news conference, most notably backing the US intelligence community assessment that Russia meddled with the US 2016 presidential election.
Ryan said, “There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence.”
He continued, “The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals. The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke briefly with reporters Monday, giving his support to the US intelligence community.
Former Vice President John McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona, who has consistently criticized the President, said Trump’s comments were “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker said the President “made us look like a pushover” and that Putin was probably eating caviar on the plane home.
“I was very disappointed and saddened with the equivalency that he gave between them (the US intelligence agencies) and what Putin was saying,” said Corker.
Several Republicans in both the houses, even some typically seen as allies of the President, said, in the hours following the Helsinki press conference, that they were concerned over what they heard on Monday.
Senator Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican, Senator Susan Collins, Maine Republican and many more spoke against Trump’s performance during the summit.
“I am confident former CIA Director and current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, DNI Dan Coats, Ambassador Nikki Haley, FBI Director Chris Wray, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and others will be able to communicate to the President it is possible to conclude Russia interfered with our election in 2016 without delegitimizing his electoral success,” Gowdy said in a statement.
Meanwhile, New York Times report said,“For nearly two years, Republicans have watched uncomfortably, and often in silence, as President Trump has swatted away accusations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential race, attacked his own intelligence agencies and flattered President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.”
Stephen Collinson, a CNN analyst writes, “For as long as history remembers Donald Trump, it will be a day that will live in infamy.” He further said, “The President’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday is already one of the most notorious moments in the tortured relations between Washington and Moscow.”
At one point, Collinson writes, “It was his hubris and desire to be unchained from his staff that led him to meet Putin alone for nearly two hours in Helsinki — fueling rumours that he is under the Russian leader’s spell.”
A January 2017 assessment bby theoffice of the Director of National Intelligence (CDN) stated that Russian leadership favored presidential candidate Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, and that Russian president Vladimir Putin personally ordered an “influence campaign” to harm Clinton’s electoral chances and “undermine public faith in the US democratic process”.
Moscow says no word from India on stopping Russian oil purchases
Russia says it has received no confirmation from India on stopping Russian oil purchases, despite Donald Trump’s claim that the move was part of a new India-US trade deal.
The Kremlin on Tuesday said it has not received any official communication from India regarding a halt in Russian oil purchases, following claims by US President Donald Trump that New Delhi had agreed to stop buying Russian crude as part of a trade agreement with Washington.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow had not heard any confirmation from Indian authorities on the matter.
“So far, we haven’t heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter,” Peskov said, responding to Trump’s remarks linking reduced US tariffs on Indian goods to an alleged commitment by India to end Russian oil imports.
Russia stresses importance of ties with India
Peskov said Russia respects bilateral relations between India and the United States but underlined the strategic importance of ties between Moscow and New Delhi.
“We respect bilateral US-Indian relations,” he said, adding that Russia places equal importance on its strategic partnership with India. “This is the most important thing for us, and we intend to further develop our bilateral relations with Delhi.”
What Trump claimed
Trump announced the India-US trade deal on Monday, stating that tariffs on Indian goods had been reduced from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. He claimed the reduction was linked to India agreeing to stop purchasing Russian oil.
According to Trump, India would instead buy more oil from the United States and potentially from Venezuela. He also suggested that the move would help bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
“He agreed to stop buying Russian oil and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela,” Trump said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India’s reliance on Russian crude
India has emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian crude since the start of the Ukraine conflict. It currently imports around 1.5 million barrels of Russian oil per day, accounting for more than one-third of its total oil imports, according to global trade data.
India is the second-largest purchaser of Russian crude globally. Even after earlier US tariff measures on Indian goods, New Delhi continued its Russian oil imports, citing energy security concerns.
The Indian government has consistently maintained that securing affordable energy supplies is critical, given the country’s heavy dependence on oil imports.
Shift in energy ties after Ukraine war
Historically, India’s relationship with Russia was centred more on defence cooperation than energy trade, with Russia supplying a majority of India’s military equipment while contributing only a small share of its oil imports.
After the invasion of Ukraine, India significantly increased purchases of discounted Russian oil. The move helped India boost energy supplies while providing Russia with much-needed revenue amid Western sanctions.
As recently as December 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a visit to New Delhi that Moscow was ready to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies to India despite pressure from the United States.
Earlier US push for Indian energy imports
Trump had earlier said, following a meeting with Prime Minister Modi in February last year, that India would begin buying more American oil and natural gas. However, those discussions did not lead to a major shift in India’s energy sourcing.
Subsequent US tariff measures also failed to significantly alter India’s stance on Russian oil imports.
The Indian equity markets opened sharply higher on Tuesday morning, buoyed by optimism following the announcement of a trade agreement between India and the United States.
In early trade, the Nifty jumped around 750 points, while the Sensex surged nearly 2,400 points, reflecting strong investor confidence hours after the deal was made public.
The rally came after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would slash tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent, as part of a broader trade agreement with New Delhi. In return, India agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil and lower trade barriers, according to the announcement.
President Trump shared the development in a post on his social media platform, calling it a major trade breakthrough. The announcement was followed by a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who thanked the US President on behalf of the people of India for the decision.
Rupee opens stronger against dollar
The positive sentiment was also reflected in the currency market. The Indian rupee opened stronger at 90.40 against the US dollar, gaining 1.10 rupees in early trade, supported by expectations of increased foreign investor inflows following the deal.
Asian markets rebound
Asian markets also traded higher, adding to the positive global cues. Japan’s Nikkei rose about 2.5 per cent, recovering from previous losses, while South Korea’s KOSPI climbed nearly 4 per cent. Market sentiment was further supported by signs of improved US factory activity overnight.
Futures indicated a recovery in Hong Kong markets, while S&P 500 futures were up around 0.3 per cent, as investors tracked upcoming corporate earnings.
With global cues turning favourable and optimism surrounding the India-US trade agreement, Indian markets are expected to remain buoyant, with investors closely watching further developments during the trading session.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that the United States and India have agreed to a trade deal that will reduce American tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. The announcement was made through a post on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social.
According to Trump, the decision was taken “out of friendship and respect” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and at the Indian leader’s request. He stated that the revised tariff would take effect immediately, with remaining formalities to be completed in the coming days.
Prime Minister Modi, in a post shortly after Trump’s announcement, thanked the US President for what he described as a significant step, expressing appreciation on behalf of India’s population.
Tariff reduction to be finalised soon
While neither government initially shared detailed terms of the agreement, the US ambassador to India later indicated that further clarity would follow. In an interaction with media, he confirmed that the overall tariff on Indian goods entering the US market would stand at 18 per cent once the deal is formally concluded.
He added that some procedural aspects are still pending, but the tariff rate itself has been agreed upon and is not expected to change.
Trump also claimed that India would move to reduce its own tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US goods to zero, though no official statement from the Indian side has detailed such measures so far.
Claim on Russian oil purchases
In his post, Trump further asserted that India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead increase its energy purchases from the United States and potentially Venezuela. He linked this claim to broader geopolitical developments, stating that such a move would contribute to ending the war in Ukraine.
There has been no official confirmation from New Delhi regarding any commitment to halt Russian oil imports.
Timing linked to wider trade developments
The announcement comes soon after India concluded a major free trade agreement with the European Union following prolonged negotiations. That agreement provides India with expanded access to the EU market, particularly in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and is expected to support manufacturing, employment and MSMEs.
The tariff reduction by the US was also announced a day after India presented its annual budget, which included measures aimed at addressing challenges arising from higher US tariffs imposed earlier.
Background of stalled negotiations
Trade talks between India and the US had slowed in recent months after Washington imposed a steep tariff on Indian goods over continued energy purchases from Russia. Negotiations resumed following renewed engagement between the two sides, including high-level discussions between the two leaders.
Officials had earlier indicated that progress was being made toward a trade agreement, with cooperation expanding across areas such as technology, energy, defence and trade.
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