Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bonhomie with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin was on public display as he used the former's car to arrive at the venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and then left with the latter in his armoured presidential vehicle.
He used China's Hongqi L5 limousine during his two-day visit to China for the key summit. The same model serves as Mr Xi's state car and is reserved for top Chinese leaders and select foreign dignitaries. Mr Xi rode in the same car during his visit to India in 2019 for talks with PM Modi.
After the summit, PM Modi left with Mr Putin in his Aurus Senat, a high-end Russian-made limousine that he regularly brings on foreign trips, for their official bilateral meeting.
Sources said Mr Putin wanted to travel together with PM Modi from the conference venue to the hotel where the meeting was scheduled. He waited for about 10 minutes for PM Modi to join him, sources said.
They then spoke for nearly an hour in the car, even after reaching the meeting venue.
"After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful," PM Modi wrote on X with a picture of the two leaders inside the car.
After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025
PM Modi and Mr Putin later held a 45-minute official meeting.
The meeting comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has publicly criticised India for buying oil from Russia, accusing New Delhi of funding Mr Putin's war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump, who had vowed to stop the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fourth year, after coming to power in January, has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent for buying Russian oil.
New Delhi said the US tariffs were "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".
"The United States has in recent days targeted India's oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India," the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement last month.
It said it was "extremely unfortunate" that the US has chosen to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that "several other countries are also taking in their own national interest".
"India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests," it added.
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