India and Russia Strengthen Ties Amid US Pressure

PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin exchanged warm gestures at the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, highlighting the significance of their bilateral relationship. In their talks, Modi strongly backed ties with Russia, emphasizing the importance of close cooperation between them for global peace, stability, and prosperity. Putin reciprocated, stating that bilateral ties, which are friendly and based on trust, will continue to grow. The two leaders spent significant time together, including a carpool ride, one-on-one chats, and an hour-long bilateral meeting.

Key Takeaways:

• The SCO Tianjin Declaration strongly condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
• India refused to endorse China's ambitious Belt and Road initiative, becoming the only country in SCO not to support the project.
• India joined other SCO members to condemn the military strikes by Israel and the US on Iran.
• The US has penalized India for buying Russian oil, but India and Russia have strengthened their ties despite the pressure.
• President Donald Trump criticized India's relationship with Russia, stating that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia.
• Trump's comments were met with criticism from former officials and experts who pointed out the inaccuracies in his claims.

Statistics:

• The total bilateral trade between India and the US was over $200 billion, with goods trade of approximately $123.9 billion and services trade of $83.4 billion in 2023.
• India was the US' 10th largest trading partner in 2023.
• The US state department launched a September 2025 campaign to highlight other aspects of US-India ties amid the trade conflagration.

Sources:

• NBC News
• The Washington Post
• US state department's embassy in New Delhi
• The Times of India