Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose throughout their assembly on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.
Vladimir Smirnov/AP/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
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Vladimir Smirnov/AP/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
TIANJIN, China — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of a regional summit in China on Monday in a present of deepening ties when New Delhi’s relations with Washington are strained over the acquisition of Russian oil.
The 2 leaders held talks after attending the important thing session of the Shanghai Cooperation Group gathering within the port metropolis of Tianjin, the place discussions targeted on regional stability, bilateral commerce and vitality cooperation.
In his remarks to open the talks, Modi termed the partnership with Moscow as “special and privileged.” Putin addressed Modi as a “dear friend” and hailed Russia’s ties with India as particular, pleasant and trusting.
“Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades. Friendly, trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future,” Putin stated.
Putin plans to journey to India in December for the twenty third India-Russia annual summit, in keeping with his international affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov.
Relationships on show
Modi used the SCO assembly to welcome the initiatives aimed toward halting the battle between Russia and Ukraine and referred to as on the stakeholders to maneuver ahead constructively.
“To end the conflict soonest and establish peace permanently, we need to find out a way. It’s a call of the entire humanity,” Modi stated.
Putin was accompanied by a big delegation that included prime authorities officers. Russian state media reported that earlier than sitting down for his or her formal assembly, Putin and Modi spoke one-on-one for nearly an hour in a Russian-made limousine that Putin frequently takes on international journeys.
Moments earlier than the leaders lined up for a gaggle photograph, Modi was seen clasping Putin’s hand with the gusto of an previous good friend, bursting into his trademark hearty laughter. The second was infectious as Putin grinned and chuckled, whereas Chinese language President Xi Jinping gave a measured smile. The trio, ringed by watchful interlocuters, chatted animatedly for a number of seconds.
Modi met Xi forward of the opening of the summit Sunday and the 2 leaders pledged to resolve their border variations and bolster cooperation.
Washington pushing collectively China, Russia and India
Monday’s bilateral assembly between Modi and Putin carried added significance by coming days after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a further 25% tariffs on Indian imports, elevating the whole duties to a steep 50%, in retaliation for India’s continued purchases of discounted Russian oil.
Washington has repeatedly warned New Delhi towards shopping for Russian crude, which it stated was partly holding Moscow’s revenues afloat to fund the Ukraine warfare. India has defended its imports as important for assembly the rising vitality wants of its 1.4 billion individuals.
Analysts stated Trump’s steep tariffs and the tone coming from the White Home have pushed New Delhi nearer to China and Russia.
“While India-China reengagements started much before Trump, his policies are accelerating a process whereby India seems to be working much more closely with China and Russia to push back against economic unilateralism it is witnessing from the U.S.,” stated Harsh Pant, vp of international coverage at New Delhi based mostly suppose tank the Observer Analysis Basis.
Modi travelled to Russia twice final yr. The primary was a go to to Moscow for talks with Putin in July, which was his first journey to Russia because the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Kremlin’s forces in February 2022. He then traveled to Kazan in October for the summit of the BRICS bloc of growing economies.
Trump’s response
As Xi, Putin and Modi confirmed extraordinary unity, Trump on Monday continued to jab at New Delhi.
Because the summit wrapped up, Trump charged in a social media put up that traditionally the U.S.-India commerce relationship “has been a totally one sided disaster!” Trump additionally bristled about India surging its Russian oil purchases and signaled no commerce cope with New Delhi is in sight.
“They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late,” Trump stated within the posting on his Fact Social platform. “They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!”
SCO nations share a historical past of enterprise partnerships
Russia has had robust ties with India because the Chilly Conflict, and New Delhi’s significance as a key buying and selling accomplice has grown because the warfare between Moscow and Ukraine.
China and India have develop into key consumers of Russian oil after the West shunned Russian exports to punish Moscow.
India traditionally purchased most of its crude from the Center East, however the world’s third-largest crude importer after China and the U.S. has began shopping for Russian oil obtainable at discounted charges. Russia now accounts for round 37% of India’s whole oil imports, in keeping with analysts and Indian officers.
Commerce between India and Russia has sharply elevated lately, reaching a file $68.7 billion within the 2024-25 monetary yr. Imports from Russia reached round $64 billion and exports from India totaled about $5 billion, in keeping with Indian authorities knowledge.
The 2 nations aspire to bolster commerce to $100 billion by 2030.
Modi’s assembly with Putin underscored New Delhi’s stance that India prized its previous and dependable strategic companions and has ample strategic autonomy in its international coverage to take care of and strengthen its multi-dimensional partnership, stated Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, a world affairs knowledgeable at New Delhi’s Jindal College of Worldwide Affairs.
On the similar time, the Indian authorities hopes the current tough climate between India and the U.S. is a short lived aberration, Chaulia stated.
“Then, India can return happily to having the Russian cake and eating the American pie as part of its multi-alignment strategy,” Chaulia stated.
