The meeting is taking place at a particularly fraught conjuncture for both leaders. Putin is facing US pressure to end the war against Ukraine, while Modi has had perhaps his most challenging year in foreign policy terms - India has fought a short war with Pakistan, and relations with the US have nose-dived. In addition, NDTV reported.
India is under the Damocles Sword of the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 as well as pressure to reduce, if not end, its lucrative oil purchases from Russia, for which India is paying a tariff penalty of 25% on exports to the US. India is also living with the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAASTA) through special waivers for purchasing Russian defence equipment.
