New Delhi: President Vladimir V. Putin wanted to travel with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the venue of their bilateral meeting Monday in the Chinese city of Tianjin, so waited for roughly 10 minutes so that the Indian leader could join him in his presidential car.
Interestingly, the last leader President Putin travelled with in one car was President Donald Trump, during the Alaska Summit, on 15 August.
Putin and Modi travelled together from the conference venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to the site of their bilateral meeting and continued their one-on-one discussion in the car for roughly 45 minutes even after reaching the venue, sources informed ThePrint.
The actual bilateral meeting between the two leaders went on for over an hour following which Modi left Tianjin for India. During the bilateral meeting with Putin, Modi emphasised that India and Russia have always “stood shoulder to shoulder” during difficult times, highlighting the close bond between the two countries.
The bonhomie between Modi and Putin comes as ties between India and the US have hit a rough patch. Modi and Trump have publicly claimed their close relationship in the past. However, the American President has hit India with tariffs up to 50 percent, which came into force on 27 August.
Modi and Putin have maintained close contact the last few weeks, especially over the war with Ukraine. The Indian Prime Minister and Putin spoke at least twice before and after the Alaska summit on the diplomatic efforts to end the almost four-year long war.
India has called for dialogue and diplomacy to solve the challenges in Eastern Europe. Modi emphasised the need to bring the war to a close during his bilateral meeting with Putin Monday. However, Modi and Trump have not had a conversation since 17 June, when the Indian Prime Minister underlined that it were the militaries of India and Pakistan which had reached a bilateral understanding to pause hostilities in May and that the US had not played any role in it.
The Russian President is set to visit India in December for the annual bilateral summit. Modi travelled to Russia in 2024 for the same. Modi also travelled to Kyiv in August 2024, and the Ukrainians are hoping to schedule a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to New Delhi soon, indicating the fine balance India has maintained since 2022.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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