India-Russia ties key for global stability; both sides stood side-by-side in most difficult times: PM Modi

Tianjin: India and Russia on Monday vowed to strengthen their strategic ties against the backdrop of New Delhi’s frictions with the US, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two countries stood “shoulder-to-shoulder” even in the most difficult times.

Modi and Putin met on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), days after the US doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.

The talks between the two leaders focused on bilateral cooperation in the economic, financial, and energy sectors, according to an Indian readout.