Donald Trump Spoke with Putin, Urging Him Not to Escalate War in Ukraine, Report Says
President-elect Trump had a conversation with Russian President Putin from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, just after winning the election against Kamala Harris.
According to the Washington Post, Trump advised Putin not to escalate the conflict in Ukraine during their call. The report also mentioned that Trump brought up the significant American military presence in Europe during the conversation.
Sources familiar with the call, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that Trump expressed interest in discussing the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon through further conversations.
Trump's election has the potential to impact the Ukraine conflict significantly, as he aims for a swift end to the fighting and questions the substantial financial assistance Washington provides to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Zelensky had a positive call with Trump earlier in the week, with billionaire Elon Musk also participating.
Zelensky described the conversation as successful and noted the agreement to maintain close dialogue and cooperation with Trump. The outgoing Democratic administration under President Biden plans to provide Ukraine with as much aid as possible before Trump's inauguration on January 20.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned that the White House intends to bolster Ukraine's position on the battlefield and at the negotiating table by utilizing the remaining $6 billion in funding for Ukraine.
The Kremlin responded cautiously but mostly positively to Trump's return, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledging the positive signals. At the very least, he's speaking about peace, not about confrontation. During his campaign, Trump promised to end the Ukraine war quickly, even before taking office, without giving specifics. Trump and his supporters have criticized US funding for Ukraine, suggesting it supports a corrupt pro-war network of defense companies and foreign policy hawks.
Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., shared a video on Instagram showing Zelensky and the president-elect with a caption that implied impending financial loss. Any rapid agreement in Ukraine is likely to involve Kyiv giving up some of the territory lost to Russian forces in the south and east. A former Trump adviser, Bryan Lanza, mentioned that Ukraine should abandon its aspirations to regain Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014.
He emphasized the US priority for peace and ending violence, though it was noted that he was not speaking on behalf of the president-elect. Kyiv has opposed relinquishing territory, despite concerns about manpower shortages and uncertainties surrounding US support. Zelensky has argued that surrendering land or meeting Kremlin demands would only encourage further aggression, a sentiment echoed by many European allies.
Trump briefly discussed land in his conversation with Putin, but details were not provided. Both sides in the conflict have taken actions to gain leverage before potential negotiations, with Ukraine capturing territory from Russia and Russian troops advancing in Ukraine. Over the weekend, the largest drone attacks to date were carried out by both sides. Russia launched 145 drones at Ukraine, as reported by Zelensky, while Russia claimed to have shot down 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on Sunday.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Congress party, referring to them as a 'royal family' who are attempting to disrupt social unity by dividing tribal communities and potentially eliminating reservations for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
During campaign rallies in Gumla and Chandankiyari before the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, Modi portrayed the Congress party as threatened by united backward communities and actively working to weaken their solidarity. The Congress understands that if STs, SCs, and OBCs come together, they could jeopardize the party's survival.
This is why the Congress 'royal family' is determined to divide their unity... "They aim to seize reservations," Modi announced at the Gumla rally. The Prime Minister accused the Congress of trying to create divisions within tribal communities, stating, "The Congress is attempting to pit one tribal community against another... Munda vs Oraon, Lohra vs Kharia, Kharwar vs Korwa etc.
With a goal to weaken the tribal community's power." The situation is tense in Jharkhand, where voting for the 81-seat assembly will take place in two stages on November 13 and 20, following the surprising win of BJP in Haryana.
Out of the 81 seats in Jharkhand, 28 are specifically set aside for Scheduled Tribes and nine for Scheduled Castes, highlighting the importance of tribal cohesiveness in the election.
Who is Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who will replace DY Chandrachud as Chief Justice of India?
President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office to Justice Sanjiv Khanna at 10 am. He is scheduled to begin a six-month term as the Chief Justice of India.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, a senior judge at the Supreme Court, will take office as the 51st Chief Justice of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, November 11.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the second-most senior judge at the Supreme Court, was nominated for the position of Chief Justice by the outgoing CJI DY Chandrachud, who retired on November 10, after serving since November 9, 2022.
Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Sanjiv Khanna started his legal career in 1983 as an advocate with the Delhi Bar Council. He possesses vast expertise in constitutional law, taxation, arbitration, commercial law, and environmental law. Justice Khanna also worked as the Chief Legal Advisor for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, he was designated Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Justice Khanna was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and was later made a permanent judge in 2006, marking the start of his distinguished judicial career.
Throughout his time in office, Justice Khanna made noteworthy contributions to the Delhi Judicial Academy, Delhi International Arbitration Centre, and District Court Mediation Centres, playing a crucial role in shaping the judicial system.
Growing Indo-French Relations
France is the second largest defense supplier to India, following Russia. They consistently emphasize their enduring defense partnership with India.
"We have always supported you," stated Ross McInnes, chair of Safran, during a speech at India's Defence Conclave in early October. "The identical cannot be said of your different Western colleagues," he included, highlighting that France was the sole Western nation that supported India post the US-led restrictions following the 1998 nuclear experiments aimed at damaging its economy.
During the last ten years, France has emerged as India’s primary provider of armaments after Russia. Following the Ukraine conflict, New Delhi is facing challenges in acquiring weapons from Russia as a result of sanctions. This is expected to increase arms trade between India and France. Between 2017 and 2021, India was the largest purchaser of arms from France, buying 29% of their exports. The increase in India's imports from France is strengthening Paris' position in the international arms trade.
France is currently competing with Russia to become the world's second-largest arms exporter, with the United States maintaining its position as the top exporter. The Rafale, a versatile fighter jet from France, faced difficulties in finding buyers for an extended period. Aside from the small orders from Egypt and Qatar, Rafale's order book had little to brag about. Rafale, translated as "gust of wind" from French, was unsuccessful in securing contracts from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Singapore, and Switzerland. The high cost played a significant role in the decision-making process.
Indian Air Force (IAF), the fourth largest globally, favored Rafale over Eurofighter Typhoons in 2012, leading to a surge in orders for the French combat aircraft. From then on, the UAE has agreed to purchase a groundbreaking 80 Rafales. India acquired Rafales through a government-to-government agreement with France. The Indian Air Force added French fighters to its arsenal shortly after a border conflict with China. Within a week of arriving, the jets were sent to Ladakh, where the Indian Army was engaged in a significant conflict with the PLA.
After Armenia, France is interested in acquiring the Indian HIMARS Pinaka Rocket Launcher System. This marks a significant milestone in India's export of defense equipment. Armenia selected the Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System (MBRLS) to strengthen its defense against Azerbaijan, a system on par with the American HIMARS. Currently, France is assessing the system for its ground forces. French Army’s Brigadier General Stephane Richou, on a visit to India, disclosed the following information.
“We are assessing Pinaka as we require a system of that nature and analyzing it alongside similar systems from leading countries… This is more than a business alliance, it is collaboration,” Brigadier Richou informed an Indian news agency. Emphasizing that India and France are strategic allies, the visiting French Army officer with a two-star rank mentioned that the two nations are already “sharing equipment” such as Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene submarines. “For us, the Indian defense industry is highly efficient."
"We are examining the capabilities provided by India, as well as those of the top countries supplying equipment," Brigadier Richou stated. The Pinaka was transported to Armenia through Iran in 2023. Pinaka Mk-1 is a free-flight artillery rocket system for area bombardment with a range of 38 kilometers, rapid response time, and a high firing rate. One Pinaka system launches 12 rockets from a multi-barrel launcher in 44 seconds.
In comparison, a battery can launch a total of 72 rockets. India created the Pinaka system to replace the Russian GRAD BM-21. In order for an MBRLS to survive in a drone-heavy battlefield, it needs the ability to swiftly fire and retreat. The Pinaka Mk-1 possesses that exact capability.
The launcher's Shoot-and-Scoot feature allows it to avoid enemy counter-battery fire. Pinaka support vehicles have similar mobility and logistics capabilities. The export contract of the Pinaka MBRLS with Armenia was the first of its kind by the Indian Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with almost no import content. This rocket launcher is currently being used by the Indian Army and has been deployed along the borders with China and Pakistan.
The Pinaka rocket system, named after Lord Shiva's bow, was first used in combat during the 1999 Kargil conflict against Pakistan. The conflicts in the cold Himalayan mountain ranges witnessed Pinaka eliminating Pakistani positions on mountain peaks.
"The main advantage of the Pinaka system is that a single regiment can fire up to 12 rockets in less than a minute in various directions, and then swiftly move to another location," a source knowledgeable about the system informed the EurAsian Times.
