TIANJIN, Sept 1 – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were seen walking hand in hand ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China.
The leaders’ closeness could be seen as a rebuke to President Trump, who imposed an additional 25% tariff on India after it purchased Russian oil, bringing the total tariff on the country to 50%.
It was seen as a show of deepening ties between the two countries as New Delhi’s relationship with Washington sours over the purchase of Russian oil.
The two leaders held talks after attending the key session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathering in the port city of Tianjin, where discussions focused on regional stability, bilateral trade and energy cooperation.
In his remarks to open the talks, Mr Modi termed the partnership with Moscow as “special and privileged”.
Mr Putin addressed Mr Modi as a “dear friend” and hailed Russia’s ties with India as special, friendly and trusting.
“Russia and India have maintained special relations for decades. Friendly, trusting. This is the foundation for the development of our relations in the future,” Mr Putin said.
“These relations are absolutely non-partisan in nature, supported by the overwhelming majority of the peoples of our countries.”
