Narendra Modi (L) and Vladimir Putin hug each other as a show of solidarity during the Tianjin SCO summit, on September 1, 2025.
New Delhi: The prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, demonstrated the resilience of their strategic countries’ partnership during a bilateral meeting, on Monday, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. The encounter took place against mounting pressure from the United States, where the American president, Donald Trump, has imposed punitive tariffs of 50% on Indian goods.
The meeting’s most striking moment came when Putin invited Modi to share his armoured Aurus limousine for a 10-minute journey to their formal bilateral talks at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. The unusual gesture, which saw Putin wait approximately 10 minutes for Modi after the SCO proceedings, provided a powerful visual symbol of solidarity as India navigates deteriorating relations with the US.
“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,” Modi posted on social media, and underlined the personal rapport between the two leaders.
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. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025
Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including… pic.twitter.com/DhTyqOysbf
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025
Trade war backdrop
The meeting occurred as Trump’s aggressive trade policies have pushed US-India relations to their lowest point in over two decades. The American president has combined a 25% “reciprocal tariff” with an additional 25% “secondary tariff” specifically targeting India’s purchases of Russian oil, creating one of the highest tariff rates imposed by Washington.
Trump’s broader trade strategy has seen average US tariff rates rise from 2.5% to an estimated 27% between January and April 2025 – the highest level in over a century. His use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries not subject to other sanctions has triggered what analysts describe as a global trade war.
The economic nationalism underlying Trump’s approach represents what scholars term a “zero-sum game” philosophy, fundamentally at odds with the multilateral trading system. A former US ambassador, Kenneth Juster, has warned that the tariffs will raise costs for US consumers while weakening ties with a crucial partner in countering China.
Energy a priority
During their hourlong bilateral meeting, Modi and Putin discussed cooperation in economic, financial and energy sectors. Russia now accounts for approximately 37% of India’s total oil imports, and despite US pressure, New Delhi has made clear it will continue purchasing Russian crude oil to meet its energy security needs.
The oil minister, Hardeep Puri, has defended these purchases, stating that “India’s adherence to all international norms prevented a catastrophic $200 per barrel shock.”
The energy dimension gains particular significance as Russia announced it would soon reveal new investment projects with India and China, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, suggesting both countries are looking to deepen economic ties beyond oil trade.
Ukraine mediation role
Modi played a significant diplomatic role regarding the Ukraine conflict, telling Putin: “We have been continuously discussing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We welcome all the recent efforts for peace. We hope that all parties will move forward constructively. A way has to be found to end the conflict as soon as possible and establish lasting peace. This is the call of the entire humanity.”
This statement followed Modi’s telephone conversation with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on August 30, where Zelenskyy urged Modi to raise peace initiatives with Putin and expressed hope that Modi’s message would be heard at the SCO summit.
Putin acknowledged India’s mediation efforts, saying: “We greatly value the efforts and proposals of India, China, and other strategic partners aimed at facilitating a settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
December summit confirmed
Modi extended a formal invitation to Putin, stating: “At this time, 1.4 billion Indians are eagerly waiting to welcome you for our 23rd summit in December.” Putin’s confirmed visit to India in December 2025 for the annual summit will provide another opportunity to deepen cooperation and potentially announce new initiatives.
Putin addressed Modi as a “dear friend” and emphasized their relationship’s foundation: “Russia and India have maintained special friendly and trust-based relations for decades. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future. These relations are absolutely non-partisan in nature, supported by the overwhelming majority of the peoples of our countries.”
Trade imbalance concerns
Despite strong political ties, both leaders acknowledged challenges in bilateral trade. While two-way trade reached a record $68.7 billion in 2024-25, India’s exports were valued at only $4.88 billion, creating a significant trade imbalance in Russia’s favour. Indian officials have expressed concern about this disparity and called on Moscow to diversify the trade basket and improve access to Russian markets.
Even as Modi and Putin met, Trump continued his criticism of India on social media. He posted on Truth Social that the US-India trade relationship had historically been “a totally one-sided disaster” and expressed displeasure with India’s increased purchases of Russian oil. Trump claimed that India had offered to reduce its tariffs to zero but dismissed this as “too late.”
The White House trade advisor, Peter Navarro, had earlier made inflammatory remarks, calling India “nothing but a laundromat” for Russian oil, further straining bilateral relations.
The global south messaging
The optics of Modi’s interactions with both Putin and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, at the summit sent a clear message about emerging alternative power structures. The three leaders were photographed together in animated conversations, projecting an image of the global south unity against what many perceive as western economic hegemony.
This alignment gains particular significance in light of Trump’s “America First” policies and his threat to impose similar tariffs on other nations. The SCO summit became a platform for non-western nations to demonstrate solidarity and explore alternative economic arrangements.
The Modi-Putin meeting thus represented more than routine diplomacy. It demonstrated how Trump’s aggressive trade policies may be inadvertently pushing major democracies like India toward deeper partnerships with Russia and China, potentially reshaping global alliances in ways that may not serve long-term American interests.
