Courtesy The Daily Mirror

NDTV World – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday travelled in the same car to the destination of their bilateral meeting after the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue in Tianjin, China– a visual statement amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught against New Delhi’s oil trade with Moscow.

“After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful,” PM Modi said in a post on X, sharing his picture with the Russian leader.

The timing of the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin holds significance as it comes amid the United States’ public condemnation of India’s oil trade with Russia, with President Donald Trump accusing New Delhi of funding Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Last month, he imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods bound for the US, the highest in Asia, to penalise it for those energy purchases.

Despite US pressure, India has not stopped its oil trade with Moscow and said its national interests will guide its energy import policies. New Delhi also labelled US levies as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.

India and Russia have been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War. New Delhi became one of the biggest Russian oil buyers since the Ukraine war broke out in 2022, and Western nations shunned energy imports from Moscow and imposed price caps on Russian crude trade. However, there is no blanket prohibition on the purchase of Russian oil if the deals meet the parameters of the Western sanctions.

The two nations are also making efforts to simplify the rupee-ruble trade mechanism, aiming to reduce reliance on the US dollar amid growing global financial complexities.

Earlier, PM Modi met President Putin at the Tianjin summit, where the Russian leader addressed India’s role in Ukraine peace efforts. Putin said he “appreciates China and India’s efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine,” highlighting the growing role of Asian powers in conflict resolution, traditionally dominated by Western nations.

This is PM Modi and President Putin’s first in-person meeting since October 2024, when they met on the margins of the BRICS summit in Kazan. PM Modi last spoke on a call with Putin after the Russian leader’s summit with Trump in Alaska to seek a peace deal.

Earlier in the day, striking photos of PM Modi’s informal interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin surfaced, capturing a light moment shared between the three leaders on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.

The images showed all three leaders smiling and conversing, reminiscent of a similar photo taken during the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.

In the latest photo, Putin is seen on the left, Prime Minister Modi at the centre, and Xi Jinping on the right, walking together in a relaxed manner to pose for a SCO family photo.

Sharing the picture on X, PM Modi wrote, “Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit.”

The Prime Minister also posted another image with Russian President Putin, where the two leaders were seen shaking hands and hugging.

PM Modi shared the photo on social media and captioned it, “Always a delight to meet President Putin!”

Additionally, the Prime Minister and Russian President were seen walking past Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, who appeared isolated, as both leaders engaged in an informal conversation.

As the two leaders engaged in an animated discussion, Sharif stood alone with a grim expression while watching them pass by. The moment occurred as leaders of SCO member states gathered for a family photo in Tianjin.