Beijing: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sent out a strong message during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, stressing that “humanity wants an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”
The two leaders not only held a bilateral discussion but also made a symbolic gesture by travelling together in the same car from the summit venue to their meeting location—an image that underscored the closeness of Indo-Russian ties amid global turbulence.
The Modi-Putin talks come at a sensitive juncture, as the United States has stepped up criticism of India’s continued oil trade with Moscow. US President Donald Trump recently accused New Delhi of indirectly funding Russia’s war in Ukraine and, in retaliation, slapped 50% tariffs on Indian goods the steepest levies in Asia.
Despite Washington’s pressure, India has stood firm, declaring that its energy decisions will be guided solely by national interests. New Delhi also denounced the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”
India and Russia share one of the most enduring global partnerships since World War II. Following the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, India emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian oil at a time when Western nations turned away from Moscow’s crude exports and imposed price caps.
To further deepen cooperation, the two countries are now working to strengthen the rupee-ruble trade mechanism, seeking to reduce dependence on the US dollar amid shifting global financial alignments.
At the SCO Summit, Putin publicly acknowledged India’s role in peace efforts, saying he “appreciates China and India’s initiatives to help resolve the Ukraine crisis.” His statement highlighted the growing influence of Asian powers in conflict resolution, a space traditionally dominated by the West.
This was the first in-person meeting between Modi and Putin since October 2024, when they last met during the BRICS summit in Kazan. The two leaders also held a phone conversation earlier this year, following Putin’s meeting with Trump in Alaska, to discuss prospects of a peace deal.
