PM Modi, Putin greet each other with warm handshake, hug before SCO Summit | Pictures

PM Modi and Vladimir Putin shared a warm hug and handshake as the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared a warm hug and handshake as the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China.

An image of their interaction was shared by the Prime Minister on social media platform X, “Always a delight to meet President Putin.”

The two leaders are also expected to hold bilateral meeting, the first since United States imposed sweeping tariffs on India over the purchase of Russian oil.

Always a delight to meet President Putin! pic.twitter.com/XtDSyWEmtw

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

"Prime Minister will be addressing the plenary session of the Summit, where he will outline India's approach to fostering regional cooperation under the SCO umbrella. After this engagement, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, following which he will depart for India," foreign secretary Vikram Misri said on Sunday.

In a separate video ahead of the SCO Summit’s plenary session, PM Modi was seen sharing light moments with the Russian President and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On Sunday, PM Modi flagged concerns over cross-border terrorism in his talks with Xi Jinping and pitched for cooperation between India and China to combat the menace as both the countries are its victims.

Misri, at a media briefing, said the issue of cross-border terrorism was mentioned by PM Modi as a "priority".

Modi and Xi held wide-ranging talks with a focus on rebuilding the bilateral relations that came under severe strain following the over four-year border standoff in eastern Ladakh that ended in October last year.

Modi landed in China on Saturday on a two-day visit that came after a gap of seven years. He is in China to attend the annual summit of SCO.