India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi cozied up to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader-for-life Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Summit.
Elephants and dragons and bears — oh my!
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi cozied up to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader-for-life Xi Jinping at a meeting in Shanghai on Wednesday.
The Xi-some took place at the Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO), which the Chinese said is aimed at challenging the West’s global influence.
All three leaders have found themselves spurned by President Trump — with India slammed with 50% tariffs last week as punishment for the country’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil.
Xi welcomed Modi with open arms at the meeting, as the leaders of the world’s two most populous nations appeared to put aside their regional rivalry for the moment.
“It is the right choice for both sides to be friends who have good neighborly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together,” Xi said — a reference to the national symbols of both nations.
Add to the mix the Russian bear — and the three leaders expressed the need for economic unity while also discussing the future of the Ukraine war.
Putin and Modi appeared to be especially united in their efforts to woo Xi, with the two pictured riding inside the Russian president’s limo, holding hands, and repeatedly hugging throughout the day.
“Conversations with him are always insightful,” Modi wrote on X alongside a picture with Putin.
Putin returned the kind words, calling Modi a “dear friend” and boasting about Russia’s relationship with the world’s largest democracy at a time when most countries have shunned him for invading Ukraine.
