NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States against using tariffs and sanctions to pressure India and China, saying such tactics belong to a bygone era. His remarks came after meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Beijing.
“You cannot talk to India or China in that way. The colonial era is over,” Putin told reporters after attending the SCO summit and a military parade. He accused Washington of using economic pressure to undermine Asia’s biggest powers and revealed that he had briefed Modi on his Alaska summit with Donald Trump during their one-hour car drive.
Putin said the US tariff regime was aimed at “weakening the leadership” of both countries. “India has 1.5 billion people, China has a powerful economy, but they also have their own political mechanisms and laws. When somebody says they are going to punish you, leaders of such nations have to calculate how they can respond,” he noted.
He added that historical experiences of colonialism and prolonged challenges to sovereignty continue to shape the political instincts of both countries. “If a leader shows weakness, his political career could be over. That influences behaviour,” Putin said.
Despite the tensions, he predicted that relations would eventually normalise. “Ultimately, things will be sorted out, everything will take its place, and we will see normal political dialogue again.”
Meanwhile, Russia is boosting fertiliser supplies to India this year, with both nations expected to sign a cooperation pact on the Arctic in 2026.
