India, Russia shoulder-to-shoulder, says Modi as he and Putin flag trade

This was one of the longest meetings on the sidelines of a multilateral summit that Modi has had in his stint as the PM. “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 X, with a photograph of the car ride.

Welcoming the recent efforts to bring the Ukraine war to an end, Modi told Putin that India hoped that all parties “shall proceed ahead constructively” — referring to the conversations between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian President. “A way must be found to end this conflict and establish lasting peace. This is the aspiration of the entire humanity,” he said.

Modi also confirmed that Putin would be travelling to India in December this year. “We’ve been in constant touch. There have also been many high-level meetings between the two sides regularly. 140 crore Indians are eagerly waiting to welcome you for our 23rd Summit in December this year,” he said.

On the US tariffs, while the Indian statement did not address the issue directly, Modi said he discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade. And Putin said “trade and economic ties as a whole are showing positive dynamics”.

“India and Russia have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder even in the most difficult situations,” Modi said. “Our close cooperation is important not only for the people of both countries, but also for global peace, stability, and prosperity,” he said.

His remarks come in the backdrop of the strain in ties between Delhi and Washington following Trump’s announcement of 50 per cent tariffs on India, and his administration’s daily diatribe over India’s import of Russian oil.

“On December 21, it will be 15 years since the adoption of the joint statement that marked the elevation of our relations to the level of a special, privileged, strategic partnership. It can be stated with confidence that our multifaceted Russian-Indian ties continue to develop actively on these principles,” Putin said. “We have established multi-level cooperation. Trade and economic ties as a whole are showing positive dynamics. Tourist exchanges are growing. We are working in close coordination on the international stage — at the UN, BRICS, the G20, and, of course, the SCO,” he said.

“Today we have a valuable opportunity to discuss the main tasks for further developing our multifaceted bilateral cooperation across various fields. Russia and India have maintained special friendly and trust-based relations for decades. This is the foundation for the future development of our ties. These relations are entirely above party politics and enjoy the support of the overwhelming majority of our peoples,” he said.

After the meeting, Modi posted on X: “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 the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains a vital pillar of regional and global stability.”

“The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including in the economic, financial and energy sectors and expressed satisfaction with the sustained growth in bilateral ties in these areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. This indicates detailed discussions on India’s purchase of Russian oil in the last three-and-a-half years.

“The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine. Prime Minister reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasised the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement,” the MEA said.

“The two leaders reaffirmed their support for further strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The Prime Minister conveyed to President Putin that he was looking forward to receiving him in India for the 23rd Annual Summit later this year,” it said.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Putin had an informal meeting, ahead of the SCO leaders’ summit, when they were seen chatting with each other, and with the host, Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the venue. “Always a delight to meet President Putin,” Modi later posted on X.

After the summit, Modi and Putin left in the latter’s vehicle. In fact, this is not the first time that the two leaders travelled together – they shared a vehicle in May 2018 too, when they were in Sochi for the informal summit.

The meeting between Modi and Putin is significant since Trump has taken exception to India’s purchase of Russian oil and levied an additional 25 per cent tariff. Russia has criticised the tariff and backed India’s right to choose its trading partners. India has said that China and Europe too have been buying cheap Russian oil, but that New Delhi has been singled out by Washington.

Last week, Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade advisor, described the Russia-Ukraine war as “Modi’s war”, and said “the road to peace runs, at least partly, right through New Delhi”, adding that “everybody in America loses because of what India is doing”.

India has maintained a firm stand on its strategic autonomy. Vinay Kumar, Indian ambassador to Russia, told Russia’s TASS news agency that “Indian companies will continue buying (oil) from wherever they get the best deal”.

While this was their first meeting since the US tariffs, Putin spoke to Modi twice in August — before and after his meeting with Trump in Alaska. On August 9, in the run-up to the Alaska talks amid the strain in Delhi’s ties with Washington after Trump doubled the tariff on India, Modi and Putin had a phone conversation during which they discussed “the latest developments on Ukraine” and reaffirmed their “commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”. On August 18, three days after he met Trump, Putin had called up Modi and “shared his insights” on the meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke to Modi as the latter reached Tianjin for the SCO meeting on Saturday. Zelenskyy told Modi that “the end of this (Ukraine) war must begin with an immediate ceasefire”. He shared his perspective on the recent developments related to Ukraine, in the wake of Putin and Trump’s meeting in Alaska, and Trump’s subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Washington. “India is ready to make the necessary efforts and to deliver the appropriate signal to Russia and other leaders,” Zelenskyy said.

Last year, Modi had travelled to Moscow and Kyiv and said that “solutions can’t be found on the battlefield” and that India was ready to support peace efforts.