Modi and Putin hold a 45-minute secret discussion inside a car

Both countries agree to work towards reducing dependence on the dollar

Tianjin (China) – Following the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit being held here, a bilateral meeting between India and Russia was arranged. For this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin left together in Putin’s car. This photograph has caught the world’s attention. The reason is that US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50% import tariff on India after India purchased oil from Russia. According to media reports, Modi and Putin sat inside the car and held a confidential conversation lasting approximately 45 minutes. Modi himself posted the picture of this discussion inside the car on ‘X’.

🤝 🇮🇳 Modi–🇷🇺 Putin meet at #SCOSummit2025 sends a STRONG global signal!

After Trump’s 50% duty on India over the Russian oil, the two leaders held a 45-min private talk, focusing on: trade & energy, fertilisers, defence, culture, and expanding rupee–rouble trade to cut dollar… pic.twitter.com/2mTRudFc5B

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) September 1, 2025

According to an international media outlet, Putin personally waited about 10 minutes for Prime Minister Modi’s arrival. Even after reaching the designated venue, both leaders continued their conversation in the car for quite some time. Through this gesture, both leaders have delivered a strong and clear message to Trump.

Putin’s open appreciation of efforts to strengthen India-China relations

1. Apart from the discussion in car, Modi and Putin also held a bilateral meeting.

2. In this meeting, both nations discussed enhancing cooperation in trade, fertilisers, energy, culture, and defence. Most notably, they agreed to work on simplifying the rupee-ruble trade mechanism to reduce dependence on the US dollar.

3. On this occasion, Putin remarked that Asian nations like India and China could play an important role in resolving issues such as the Ukraine war. He also openly praised the efforts being made to foster closer ties between India and China.

4. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi wrote that the meeting included an exchange of views on local and global issues. Special emphasis was given to finding peaceful solutions to the Ukraine conflict. He added that India and Russia’s strategic and special partnership is extremely vital for regional as well as global stability.

Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture. We exchanged views on regional and global developments, including… pic.twitter.com/DhTyqOysbf

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Photos of the cordial meeting of the Russia-India-China (‘RIC’ Nations) leaders becomes a global talking point

Given the US’ harsh import tariffs on India and the tensions with Russia over the Ukraine war, this year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit has become notable for one key highlight : the cordial photos of the leaders of Russia, India, and China (the ‘RIC’ nations). Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself posted these photos on X. In these photos, Modi, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen conversing warmly and even sharing jokes.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, representing another member nation of the organisation, was visibly left out of these exchanges. At one moment, as Modi and Putin walked along chatting, Sharif was seen glancing sideways at them. Analysts say all of this is bound to give the United States much food for thought.