India has expressed support for the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for Friday, August 15, in Alaska, which aims to explore ways to end the war in Ukraine.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said New Delhi “welcomes the understanding” reached between Washington and Moscow for direct talks. “This meeting holds the promise of ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening the path to peace,” the MEA said, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated assertion that “this is not an era of war.”

The Alaska summit will mark Putin’s first visit to the US since 2015, when he last met then-President Barack Obama.

Announcing the development on his Truth Social platform, Trump described it as a “highly anticipated meeting” between himself and Putin, to be held “in the Great State of Alaska” on August 15. “Further details to follow,” he added.

The Kremlin confirmed that the two leaders will focus on options for a long-term resolution to the Ukraine crisis, acknowledging the challenges involved but promising to engage “actively and energetically.”

Trump, speaking at the White House during the signing of the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace agreement, hinted that any potential settlement could involve territorial adjustments. “There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” he said, adding that more details would follow.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back strongly, stating on Telegram that Ukraine’s territorial boundaries are already enshrined in its constitution and “no one can deviate from it.” He vowed that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

The upcoming Alaska talks follow a three-hour meeting in Moscow between Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin, which US officials described as “highly productive.”

The diplomatic breakthrough comes just days after Trump announced steep new trade measures against India—an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods—over New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil.