Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. The meeting took place against the backdrop of the US imposing punitive tariffs on India for its continued crude oil purchases from Russia.
In his opening remarks, Modi stated that India and Russia have supported each other even during the "worst of times", attributing this to the "depth of our special and privileged strategic partnership". He emphasised that the close ties between the two nations are beneficial not only for their own people but also for "global stability, peace and growth".
This message was a clear response to the accusations from the US and Europe that India's purchase of Russian crude oil is a way of funding Russian aggression.
In his remarks, Modi also mentioned the urgent need for peace in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He stated that "there is a need to end the conflict and to find a way towards stable peace." "India welcomes all efforts to bring peace; we hope all sides move ahead constructively," he said.
India was hit with a 25 pc punitive tariff by the US under President Donald Trump for its purchases of Russian crude oil. This increased the overall duty on Indian goods imported into the US to 50 pc, on top of a 25 pc tariff that already existed.
India had previously criticised the 'absurdity' of these tariffs, pointing out that Europe is the largest buyer of Russian gas and China is the largest buyer of Russian crude, but both countries are subject to the same punitive measures.
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