Photographs and videos from Tianjin showed visible camaraderie among PM Modi and Putin
- Prime Minister Modi met President Xi and President Putin at the SCO summit in Tianjin, China
- Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif appeared grim while PM Modi engaged in informal talks with Putin before the session
- PM Modi posted photos highlighting friendly exchanges with Putin and Xi Jinping on social media
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday engaged in a warm exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China-- a moment that drew global spotlight for its strong geopolitical implications, especially as President Donald Trump ratchets up trade tensions with New Delhi.
Photographs and videos from Tianjin showed visible camaraderie among the three heavyweight leaders, while several world leaders observed them from the sidelines. In one of the videos going viral from the summit, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was seen looking on with a grim expression as Prime Minister Modi engaged in an animated informal chat minutes ahead of the plenary session in Tianjin.
This came after PM Modi was seen standing several places apart from Sharif in the first family photo from the summit.
Later, PM Modi posted photographs of himself with President Putin and President Xi, highlighting the friendly exchange and wrote, "Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit."
He also shared his photos with the Russian leader and wrote, "Always a delight to meet President Putin!"
This came against the backdrop of heightened tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam earlier this year by The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). India has blamed Pakistan for the April attack that killed 26 people and brought the two nuclear neighbours to the brink of war.
Following the military conflict with India, Islamabad has been cosying up to Washington and even gave credit for the ceasefire with New Delhi to US President Donald Trump. India has consistently maintained that a truce was reached after Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations directly approached his Indian counterpart, requesting the same.
