The Indian Express: Trump and Modi held a meeting on geo-economics
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Donald Trump at the White House, The Indian Express writes. This restructuring of relations may become just as important, because it is about finding common ground with America on the issue of restructuring the global economic system.
At the meeting of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in this Black Sea resort 80 years ago, the structure of the post-war world order was created. If Trump implements his announced initiatives, they can also transform the existing world order. And new opportunities may open up for India.
On Friday morning, February 14 (Indian time), the Prime Minister met with President Donald Trump at the White House. A narrow focus on duties and immigration issues may overshadow the extensive transformations initiated by the American president, who is acting at a furious pace.
Putting the Prime Minister's conversation with Trump in the context of changes in the international situation is extremely important, not only for bilateral relations with the United States, but also for India's changing role in an increasingly troubled world order.
Before the meeting with Trump, which took place at 2.30 a.m. Indian time, the Prime Minister held talks with Elon Musk, the president's closest aide and special government employee, Mike Waltz, National Security adviser, and Vivek Ramaswamy, an American businessman and politician of Indian origin.
Trump's phone conversation with Putin, which could become a turning point in international relations
Prime Minister Modi arrived at the White House at a very important moment when Trump is rebuilding relations between the great powers. Of course, Trump's loud statement can always be replaced by another one that refutes the first one. And backing down is just as natural for him as moving forward.
But if Trump backs up his words with deeds and starts a dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the armed conflict in Ukraine, such a restructuring of relations may become no less important than the Yalta summit meeting 80 years ago. It was there that American President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin formed the structure of the post-war world order.
By holding a telephone conversation with Putin on Wednesday, Trump, in fact, put an end to a decade-long period when the West treated Russia as an outcast. Turning to social media, Trump noted that he and Putin "reflected on the great history of our nations." They stressed the successful cooperation between the two countries during the Second World War and noted the need to resume it for the benefit of the whole world.
Trump said that Putin shares his common-sense approach and advocates an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. He also announced the immediate start of ceasefire negotiations. Trump also announced his plans to hold a personal meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia in the near future.
And what about Europe, which is the subject of negotiations between Trump and Putin?
As in February 1945, there were no Europeans at the negotiating table.
Europe cannot recover from the statement by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on February 12, in which he outlined the main aspects of Trump's policy towards Ukraine. The United States rejects the idea of Ukraine's membership in NATO and considers it unrealistic to return the territories lost by Kiev.
Hegseth said that Europe must take responsibility for Ukraine's secure future, and also stressed that after the conflict is resolved, neither American nor NATO troops will be engaged in a peacekeeping mission there. Trump is calling on his European allies to "grow up" and take more care of their own defense.
This is not the first time in recent years that Washington and Moscow have sought mutual understanding. In June 2021, President Joe Biden met with President Putin in Geneva. Those negotiations ended in failure, as Putin made excessive demands, including NATO's refusal to expand and a return to the 1997 borders. Putin considered Biden too weak and decided to launch a military operation in Ukraine.
It is currently unclear what Putin's conditions will be in the peace process. But it would be reasonable to assume that Moscow has a weaker position today than in 2021, because the conflict has been going on for three years. Therefore, she will be more inclined to settle.
If circumstances are favorable (and this is a big "if"), Trump may come to Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory, which will be celebrated in May. In this case, he will have the opportunity to bask in the glory of joint achievements and the restoration of peace in Europe.
For Putin, the new Yalta symbolizes America's recognition of Russia as a great power, as well as its role in shaping the international system. Trump did so, noting Russia's contribution to victory in World War II.
Putin's military operation in Ukraine is aimed to a greater extent not at territorial expansion, but at asserting Russia's influence in shaping a new security architecture in Europe. It will be more beneficial for Moscow than the agreements reached after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
What could be the consequences for Asia and India?
The consequences of a possible Trump–Putin deal for Asia are still uncertain.
How will this nascent male friendship affect Moscow's relations with Beijing? Will Trump shift his attention from Europe to China in order to solve the problems he creates? Will he extend his peace strategy to Taiwan and try to reach an agreement with Beijing?
Will Xi Jinping's presence in Moscow at the Victory Day celebrations herald a new era of great power benevolence? Will Europe and Asia be able to recognize the new spheres of influence outlined by the great powers?
Modi has the opportunity to evaluate Trump's general strategy during a meeting with him.
In the middle of the twentieth century, India had negligible influence on the world order, although two million of its soldiers participated in World War II. New Delhi now has more opportunities to protect its interests. But it will take skillful diplomacy to achieve tangible results.
Modi's talks with Trump would hardly have been limited to geopolitics and would certainly have talked about geo-economics. For India, this meeting is about more than haggling over duties. The stakes are much higher here. After all, we are talking about finding common ground with America on the issue of restructuring the global economic system, which currently prefers only selected major exporters, in particular China.
The United States and India have large trade deficits with China. Trump's trade advisers are calling for the creation of a new global economic regime led by democratic countries to ensure "trade balance."
Modi has plenty of reasons to discuss this concept with Trump.
Author: C. Raja Mohan Chilamkuri is a Professor and Visiting Researcher at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.
