FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) – Indian military forces are conducting a two week training exercise in Fairbanks, all while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a summit in Tianjin, China — the latest in a complex balancing act amid rising tensions from U.S. tariffs and continually-frayed engagement with America’s authoritarian rivals.
Yudh Abhyas, which translated to English means “preparing for war,” brings 25 U.S. Army Soldiers and a “comparable Indian Army contingent” to Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks from Sept. 1 to Sept. 14.
The event, in its 18th iteration, is a military training exercise, which the U.S. Army described as a “combined training designed to enhance interoperability, readiness, and cooperation between the two nations’ land forces.”
The decision to choose an Alaskan location is intentional, the Army said, saying it provides U.S. soldiers a “strategically significant training ground due to its proximity to key Arctic and Indo-Pacific air and sea corridors,” and Indian troops a “venue to train in cold-weather conditions with U.S. forces experienced in Arctic operations.”
“Together, we sharpen our skills for peacekeeping, humanitarian response and combat operations because we know that the challenges of the future will demand cooperation across borders,” said Col. Christopher Brawley, commander of one of the contingents a part of Yudh Abhyas training. “When our soldiers trained side by side, we demonstrate to the world that our partnership is strong, enduring and prepared to meet any challenge.”
But a U.S. partnership with India has been anything but strong since the end of August, and the term, “preparing for war,” may be inopportune as negotiations between Ukraine and Russia appear to have largely stalled and the U.S. relationship with India becomes more and more fraught weeks after the summit in Alaska between Putin and President Donald Trump.
India-America relations
At the end of August, Trump doubled tariffs on Indian imports to 50% for continuing to purchase Russian oil, a decision which the White House said threatened a peace deal with Ukraine weeks after Trump and Putin met in Alaska to try and end the war.
“The Russian Federation’s actions in Ukraine pose an ongoing threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy, necessitating stronger measures to address the national emergency,” the White House said in the initial order tariffing India Aug. 6.
Trump called the unity between the authoritarian leaders Tuesday, the first time Modi has been on Chinese soil in seven years, CNBC reports, a gathering to plot against the U.S.
“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Ashley Tellis, who works for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, told Reuters the president’s actions against India is the first in a “downward spiral” of a broken relationship.
“The problem now is Trump’s deepening grievances against India,” Tellis said. “He may change his mind down the road, but presently the imperative of securing a trade deal with China trumps all other geopolitical considerations.”
India is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, nor are Russia and North Korea.
NATO is the peace pact between countries which famously holds the collective defence article, saying a “NATO Ally (that) is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members,” the organization’s website reads.
The White House nor Trump have issued a statement about the Yudh Abhyas training exercise, and Alaska’s News Source reached out to the White House for comment on the Yudh Abhyas training exercise, but deferred comment over to the Department of Defense, who did not return comment as of publication. The White House did not return comment on a question asking about India and America’s relationship.
Alaska’s News Source reached out to the governor and Congressional delegations for comment on the training in Fairbanks and the nature of India and Alaska’s relationship Wednesday. Only Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, has returned comment.
“Defense partnerships strengthen our allied relationships and help us build new ones. We welcome Yudh Abhyas 2025 at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, enhancing interoperability and bolstering cooperation in the Indo-Pacific,” Begich said in a written statement to Alaska’s News Source.
“Exercises like these reinforce our commitment to international security and highlight the growing recognition of the importance of the Arctic.”
Where is the Putin-Zelenskyy summit?
While the summit between Russia, India and China was not focused on ending the war in Ukraine, the Russian president did say he was open to the next step in the peace process.
“Donald [Trump] asked me for such a meeting. I said: ‘Yes, it’s possible, let Zelenskyy come to Moscow’,” Putin said, according to Al Jazeera reporting.
President Donald Trump will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Thursday, the second meeting after their last in D.C., days following the Alaska Summit.
“We spoke about very sensitive points,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference in D.C. during the meeting “The first one is security guarantees, and we are very happy with [the] president that all the leaders are here and the security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on [Trump].
“This is very important that the United States gives such strong signal and is ready for security guarantees,” Zelenskyy added.
Despite the news coming out Wednesday, little in setting up a time or place for the Putin-Zelenskyy summit, which Trump said was the next step in negotiations, has happened since the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in D.C.
23 Ukrainians, including four children, were killed and 45 injured in an hours-long missile and drone attack on Aug. 28, the New York Times reported.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.