The world this week | Modi-Putin meet, Imran Khan vs Asim Munir and enhanced vetting for H-1B visa

What is the India-Russia Annual Summit?

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the annual summit between the prime minister of India and the president of the Russian Federation is the highest institutionalised dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between India and Russia. So far, 22 Annual Summits have taken place alternatively in India and Russia. The first India-Russia Annual Summit took place in New Delhi in October 2000, during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What did India and Russia discuss?

During his two-day visit, Putin had several high-profile engagements, including meetings with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India and Russia agreed on expanding and diversifying bilateral trade beyond traditional areas of oil and defence, setting a goal to reach an annual trade volume of $100 billion by 2030.

Both sides welcomed the adoption of the Programme for the Development of Strategic Areas of India-Russia Economic Cooperation till 2030.

India is one of the top buyers of Russian oil, and Putin assured continued uninterrupted shipments of fuel supply to the country.

India and Russia also signed a labour mobility agreement to protect Indian workers and boost skilled migration.

The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in building stable and efficient transport corridors, with a focus on enhancing infrastructure capacity to support the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor, and the Northern Sea Route.

The countries agreed to reshape defence ties towards joint research, development, and production within India, including the manufacturing of spare parts for Russian military equipment, including S-400s, S-500, and Su-57.

Russia-Ukraine peace talks stall despite Putin-Witkoff meeting

Before his two-day visit to India, Russian President Putin had another high-profile engagement back home, which was expected to provide a breakthrough in the peace talks. A US delegation led by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, visited Moscow to advance the peace talks.

Who attended the US-Russia talks?

The US side had Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Trump, while the Russian delegation comprised Vladimir Putin and his senior foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov.

What happened in the meeting?

Despite a five-hour meeting on December 2, which both sides described as “useful” and “constructive”, it failed to make any progress in achieving peace in Ukraine. The main sticking points remained territorial concessions and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Russia-Ukraine war

Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, calling it a special military operation with the declared goals of ‘demilitarisation’ and ‘denazification’ of Ukraine and protecting Russian speakers in Donbas.

Trump gets another peace deal signed

While Trump’s 19-point plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war is stuck in limbo, the US president still got a peace deal signed this week. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda formally signed the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity on December 4. The US-brokered peace deal aimed at ending the long-running conflict in the eastern DRC was originally agreed in June this year.

Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity

The deal, signed by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, calls for both nations to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, refrain from supporting armed groups, and disarm non-State forces. As part of the agreement, Rwanda will withdraw its forces from the DRC, and the DRC will end all support for the FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The agreement calls for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced persons.

The DRC and Rwanda also agreed on working together on the economic front, especially for mining critical minerals like cobalt, tin, and tantalum.

More travel restrictions, vetting for H-1B visa applicants

The United States is rolling out a host of changes to its immigration policy, which would further restrict who would be allowed to enter or stay in the country.

The Trump administration is expanding its travel ban from 19 to over 30 countries, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Countries under the US travel ban:

• Afghanistan
• Myanmar
• Chad
• Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Libya
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Countries with partial travel restrictions:

• Burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela

Expansion of requirements for H-1B visa applicants

This week, the US announced an expansion of requirements for H-1B visa applicants and their dependents. The new rules, which will come into effect on December 15, require applicants to make their social media profiles, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, ‘public’ to allow for scrutiny by consular officers.

Consular officers will examine public posts, interactions, and information available across online platforms and databases to identify potential ineligibility issues.

Resumes and LinkedIn profiles of all applicants will be examined thoroughly to determine their previous work experience.

Applicants will also be examined for possible involvement in censorship or attempted censorship of protected speech in the US.

Who will be affected?

The new changes will apply to all H-1B and H-4 applicants, including both first-time applicants and those applying to renew their visas.

Asim Munir gets promoted as Pakistan’s 1st CDF

This week, Pakistan got its first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) in Asim Munir, making him one of the most powerful persons in the country.

Munir, who was promoted to the Field Marshal rank this year, will also simultaneously hold the office of the Chief of Army Staff, along with his duties as CDF.

The CDF’s role was established last month under the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, aiming to centralise military command.

The appointment is for a period of five years.

Imran Khan vs Asim Munir

Munir was appointed as Pakistan’s first CDF at a time when former prime minister Imran Khan launched an all-out attack on him. Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, alleged that he could be killed by the military. In a social media post from jail, Khan also called Munir a “mentally unstable man”, whose “moral bankruptcy has led to the complete collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.”

Where is Imran Khan?

Imran Khan is currently lodged in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where he is serving a 14-year prison sentence in two different corruption cases. Last week, his family had alleged that they were not being allowed to visit Khan in jail. This week, after widespread protests by his family and PTI supporters, Khan’s sister Uzma Khanum was allowed to meet him in jail, ending speculations about his health.