PM Narendra Modi to meet President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin today amid US pressure over Russian oil buys

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will first address the SCO plenary session before meeting President Putino

“Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline India’s approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India,” Misri said during a special briefing in Tianjin on Sunday.

The meeting assumes significance as it comes at a time when India is under relentless pressure from the Trump administration to reduce its purchase of Russian crude oil.

This will be Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin’s first in-person meeting after Trump’s second US presidency. The two leaders last met on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.

What’s on the agenda?

While India has not yet retaliated to US tariffs, it has sought to reinforce its friendship with Russia and recalibrate its ties with China in recent weeks.

Reports suggested that Modi and Putin could take up some of the issues that their

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart in Moscow on August 22. The two leaders discussed sustaining India-Russian energy cooperation through trade and investments, joint extraction of energy resources, including in the Russian Federation, in the Far East, and on the Arctic shelf, and the balance of bilateral trade, which is currently in Russia’s favour.

Modi and Putin can take up some of these issues during their meeting today, according to reports.

India wants to increase exports to Russia

India wants to increase its exports to Russia in sectors like medicines, farm products, and textiles to reduce the trade gap. New Delhi has also asked Moscow to quickly remove non-tariff barriers and other rules that make it hard for Indian goods to enter Russia. At present, Russia is India’s fourth-largest trading partner, while India is Russia’s second-largest.

India and Russia have stepped up engagements in recent weeks, more so after Trump’s tariffs were announced.

Modi and Putin spoke over the phone twice sinceDonald Trump signed the executive order on 7 August to impose a 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods, which kicked in on 27 August, for buying Russian oil. While Foreign Minister Jaishankar was in Moscow on 22 August, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval visited Russia in the first week of August

Reports last month suggested that New Delhi and Moscow have finalised Putin’s visit to India, likely in December, for the India-Russia Annual Summit.

Before the Modi-Putin meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke with the Indian Prime Minister over the phone.

“We exchanged views on the ongoing conflict, its humanitarian aspect, and efforts to restore peace and stability. India extends full support to all efforts in this direction,” Prime Minister Modi said after the call.

Modi-Xi meet

The Modi-Putin meeting is scheduled a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO leaders’ summit. This was their first meeting after the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024.

PM Narendra Modi later joined the official reception of the summit, hosted by President Xi at the Tianjin Meijiang International Convention and Exhibition Centre. He was greeted warmly by Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, before joining other world leaders for a group photograph symbolising regional unity.

Putin also attended the official reception along with senior members of his delegation, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Chief of Staff Maxim Oreshkin, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov and Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Russian news agency TASS.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said PM Modi invited Xi Jinping to the BRICS Summit that India will host in 2026.

President Xi thanked PM Modi for the invitation and offered China’s support to India’s BRICS Presidency.