Modi Hails Russia Ties After Putin Meeting, Shrugging Off Trump
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India and Russia share a “special” relationship, standing by each other in difficult times, in a defiant show of ties as Washington criticizes New Delhi over oil purchases.
“India and Russia have a special and privileged partnership. In the most difficult and testing times, India and Russia have always stood by each other,” Modi said in opening remarks at a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in China on Monday. He added that India “eagerly” awaits Putin’s visit later this year.
Modi and Putin meeting comes at a time when their relationship is under global scrutiny. US President Donald Trump has publicly lambasted India for buying oil from Russia, accusing New Delhi of funding Putin’s war in Ukraine. Last week, the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods bound for the US — the highest in Asia — to penalize it for those energy purchases.
New Delhi has defended its ties with Moscow, calling Trump’s actions “unfair,” and has given no sign it will scale back purchases. In a column in The Hindu newspaper on Monday, Oil Minister Hardeep Puri said that India had not “broken rules” and that its purchases helped to shield the global economy from a price spike.
Amid souring ties with the US, Modi used his visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to mend relations with Beijing while reaffirming India’s deep partnership with Moscow. Earlier in the day, he highlighted his bond with Putin with a warm embrace and a shared car ride.
“President Putin and I traveled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting,” Modi said in a post on X on Monday. “Conversations with him are always insightful.”
In another post on X, Modi said the two leaders talked about “ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilizers, space, security and culture.” The war in Ukraine was also discussed, he added.
Modi spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ahead of his trip to China, reiterating his call for peace. Zelenskiy said India was ready to “deliver the appropriate signal to Russia and other leaders” during Modi’s meetings in Tianjin. Modi last spoke with Putin after the Russian leader’s summit with Trump in Alaska to seek a peace deal.
Modi also met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit, their first talks since Trump’s return to power. In the closely watched meeting, the two leaders pledged to be partners rather than rivals and announced steps to rebuild ties, including the resumption of direct flights between the two countries.
(Updates with Modi’s opening remarks)
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
