Putin meets Modi, Xi at China's SCO summit, again blames 'NATO expansion' for Russia-Ukraine war
Editor's note: The story was updated with additional reporting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 1 reiterated the Kremlin's talking points that NATO and Ukraine's pro-Western aspirations provoked the Russian invasion of the country.
Talking to leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, Putin repeated false narratives that the EuroMaidan Revolution was a Western-backed "coup" while shifting the blame for Russia's war of aggression away from Moscow.
Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1. The summit, the largest in the bloc’s history, has drawn over 20 leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and others.
During his address, Putin claimed that the results of his recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, which was held in Alaska, will be discussed in detail during bilateral meetings.
Trump met Putin in Anchorage on Aug. 15 as part of U.S. efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite the high-level summit, there seems to be little progress toward ending the hostilities as the Russian military said it would continue its bombing of Ukrainian cities.
Putin met both Xi and Modi during the summit as he seeks to strengthen ties with India and China in the face of Western pressure. The two major economies have become a crucial economic lifeline for Russia during the full-scale war and are leading buyers of its oil.
Kyiv has also grown more vocal in accusing Beijing of directly supporting Moscow’s war effort through supplies of dual-use goods and defense components.
"Always a delight to meet President Putin!" Modi wrote on X, sharing a picture of him and the Russian leader in embrace. "Conversations with him are always insightful."
Always a delight to meet President Putin! pic.twitter.com/XtDSyWEmtw
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025
Putin held bilateral talks with Modi and a separate meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Putin and Modi discussed bilateral cooperation in the economic, financial, and energy sectors, as well as "regional and global issues, including the latest developments concerning Ukraine," the Indian Foreign Ministry said.
"Prime Minister (Modi) reiterated his support for the recent initiatives that have been taken to address the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasized the need to expedite a cessation of the conflict, and find a durable peace settlement," the statement read.
India is set to host Putin in December in what would mark the Russian leader's first visit to the country since 2021.
In late August, Trump slapped 50% tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian arms and energy, though New Delhi is reportedly set to increase purchases of Russian crude despite U.S. pressure.
Leaders from across Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia are attending the Tianjin summit. Beijing has billed the event as a show of solidarity among the "Global South," seeking to highlight cooperation between developing and lower-income nations.
The gathering is expected to provide a diplomatic boost to Russia as it faces isolation and sweeping sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
Xi stressed that the SCO sets a model for "a new type of international relations," positioning the group as a counterweight to Western influence. He called on members to oppose "external interference" and reject a "Cold War mentality."
The Chinese leader also urged closer economic cooperation within the SCO’s "mega-sized" market.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund will announce new projects with China and India in the coming days, said the fund's director, Kirill Dmitriev.
"(W)e will be announcing new investment projects with China — both about their investments in Russia and about projects that will allow Russian companies to enter the Chinese market more actively," Dmitriev told journalists.
