New Delhi: The stage is set for the important bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Chinese port city of Tianjin on Monday shortly after the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The bilateral relationship between the two nations, including defence and energy ties, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict are expected to be discussed in detail at the meeting between the two leaders.
The meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Putin will be keenly watched and is expected to send a strong and firm message to the Trump administration that has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on India, half of which is a “penalty” for importing Russian oil.
India and Russia have shared close strategic ties for decades. Highlighting the strength of the friendship amid New Delhi’s tensions with Washington, Mr Putin had spoken to Mr Modi twice earlier this month.
During the discussions, Mr Modi had “underlined India’s consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through diplomacy and dialogue and reiterated that India supports all efforts in this regard”. He had referred to the Russian President as his friend in posts on X after both calls earlier this month.
The Russian President is expected to visit India this December for the bilateral summit between the two nations. He had last visited India in December 2021.
