Russian President Vladimir Putin has made public the details of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Tianjin, China. Russian President and PM Modi were seen sitting inside Putin’s Russian-made Aurus limousine. According to Putin, he shared with Modi the details of discussions with US President Donald Trump in Alaska.
“This is no secret, I told him what we talked about in Alaska,” Putin told reporters at a press conference in China, as reported by Russian news agency TASS.
Putin, Modi Meet At SCO Summit in Tianjin
This year the SCO summit was held in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1, while for the next year it is scheduled to be held in Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan will host the summit in 2027.
This year, leaders of more than 20 countries participated in the summit. Heads of various international organizations, including the UN chief, participated in the summit.
It was reported that Putin waited for PM Modi for 0 minutes before boarding the car for a ride of 15 minutes. However, the two leaders remained inside the car for another 45 minutes to continue their one-on-one dialogue.
What Was Discussed Inside The Car?
“The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel, where they were to be joined by members of their teams. However, on reaching the hotel, they did not deboard the Russian president’s limousine and continued their conversation for a further 45 minutes,” Russian national radio station VestiFM reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later confirmed the unusual arrangement, saying the tete-a-tete between Putin and Modi lasted for about an hour.
“He did not want to interrupt the important conversation. But the ‘home walls’ of the car also played a role,” Peskov told a pool TV reporter covering Putin’s visit.
“They were at home. That’s the first thing. And secondly, when there’s an important discussion going on, there’s simply no time to interrupt walking and moving to different venues and so on. They felt comfortable there, and that’s why they continued the conversation. But the (bilateral) agenda is really more than intense,” Peskov explained.
PM Modi Shares Photo of Car Ride with Putin
Prime Minister Modi later took to social media, sharing a photo of himself with Putin inside the limousine.
“After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful,” Modi wrote.
Putin’s Aurus limousine is highly secure against eavesdropping, which may have prompted the two leaders to discuss sensitive bilateral matters inside the vehicle.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
