"Rebuke To Trump": What US Media Reported On PM Modi, Putin Meeting

The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in China became a stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin to showcase their unity amid US President Donald Trump's high tariffs on India over its Russian oil imports. The two leaders met for the first time after the tariff imposition and shared bonhomie with handshakes, hugs, and long talks. They even travelled together from the Summit venue to their bilateral meeting hall in the same car - for which Putin reportedly waited about 10 minutes for PM Modi.

Many pictures and videos of PM Modi and Putin walking hand-in-hand went viral. Another video showed the two leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping sharing a lighter moment with smiles and handshakes. This show of friendship indicated that India would not ruin its ties with Russia despite the US threats.

Always a delight to meet President Putin! pic.twitter.com/XtDSyWEmtw

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

Interactions in Tianjin continue! Exchanging perspectives with President Putin and President Xi during the SCO Summit. pic.twitter.com/K1eKVoHCvv

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

The powerful photos of the two leaders, even with Chinese President Xi Jinping, made headlines in the US media - with The New York Times noting how India's "risk-averse bureaucracy" would have usually avoided such an obvious display of warmth with China and Russia to avoid irking Washington. In an article on the SCO Summit, it said that India is left with "little incentive" to "pull itself back" due to the sweeping tariffs. The NYT, in its report, also said PM Modi's social media posts with the Russian and Chinese leaders reflected how its "juggling act has been upended".

The NYT described the photo of PM Modi, Xi Jinping, and Putin holding hands as a "smiling manifestation of a troika that Moscow had recently said it hoped to revive".

NBC News reported that PM Modi's closeness with the two leaders could be seen as a "rebuke" to Trump.

CNN, which headlined its report 'Xi and Modi talk friendship in a 'chaotic' world as Trump's tariffs bite', said that Trump's tariffs have threatened "years of efforts from US diplomats to deepen ties with the country as a key counterweight to a rising and increasingly assertive China." It added that the positive signals and warmth between the three countries will be closely watched by the Trump administration.

Associated Press said that Trump's tariffs on India have pushed New Delhi closer to China and Russia.