Moscow: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had what he described as an insightful exchange with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a private meeting in China.
The two leaders have spent 45 minutes in Putin’s limousine on the sidelines of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) summit, which has been hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin.
Putin’s spokesman stated that the two leaders had continued their conversation inside the car because they felt comfortable there. The unusual setting of the meeting has highlighted the personal rapport between the two leaders, who were also seen walking hand-in-hand during the summit.
The SCO gathering has been widely viewed as a counterbalance to US influence under President Donald Trump. Washington has imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, with a 25 percent penalty applied to transactions involving Russia. These measures, among the highest trade barriers globally, are aimed at punishing New Delhi for continuing to buy Russian oil and weapons despite Western pressure.
India, considered a vital US partner in the Indo-Pacific, has shown no indication of reducing its energy and defence dealings with Moscow. Instead, Modi’s visible camaraderie with Putin has underscored New Delhi’s determination to maintain its long-standing ties with Russia, even as its relationship with Washington comes under strain.
For his part, Putin has used the summit to thank both China and India for supporting efforts to ease the Ukrainian crisis. Speaking at the meeting, he said that the ‘understandings reached’ with Trump in Alaska last month had provided an opening for peace in Ukraine, although Moscow has reiterated that no talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are planned.
Trump had warned on 22 August that he had given Putin ‘a couple of weeks’ to respond to his demand for peace negotiations or face further US action. It was the latest in a series of ultimatums issued by the US leader, who has claimed he could resolve the Ukraine war within a day.
The limousine meeting between Modi and Putin has drawn attention not only for its symbolism but also for the wider geopolitical context of trade sanctions, alliances, and ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
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