PM Modi's outreach to Vladimir Putin risks putting India in US crosshairs

Modi so far has managed to thread the needle between the two sides while advancing India's own interests. He's sought cheaper oil and much-needed weapons, to counter Beijing's aggression

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin and attends a summit with China’s Xi Jinping on Friday, he’ll need to avoid looking too chummy with the US’s two top adversaries.
 

Modi’s face-to-face meeting with Putin will take place Friday in Uzbekistan, where a host of leaders are gathering for a summit of the Chinese-founded Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group intended to counter the US-led global system. At that event, he’ll also rub shoulders with Xi, whom Modi hasn’t met in person since late 2019.

With Russia’s war in Ukraine in its seventh month, India has emerged as one