September 3, 2025

The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin has turned into a spicy talking point across America! Indians watched as Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared the stage with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping — and that got the US political world buzzing loudly. Visuals of Modi sitting beside these powerful leaders raised eyebrows and stirred strong reactions full of shock and disappointment. Peter Navarro, White House trade adviser, didn’t hold back. “It was a shame to see Modi getting in bed, as a leader of the biggest democracy in the world, with the two biggest authoritarians in the world in Putin and Xi Jinping. That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not sure what he’s thinking particularly since India has been in a cold war, and sometimes a hot war, with China for decades,” he said. Navarro hopes Modi “comes around to seeing that he needs to be with us and Europe and Ukraine and not Russia.” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the SCO summit “performative” but admitted India shared more values with the US and China than Russia. Both Navarro and Bessent criticized India’s ongoing purchase of Russian energy, a sore point in US-India ties lately. The American media got buzzing over Modi and Putin’s warm gestures – the two leaders spotted in the same car, even holding hands during walks! These images sent waves through US coverage, sparking a fierce debate on Trump’s foreign policy towards India. Trump’s tariffs on India came under fire as experts and politicians blamed these for pushing India to cozy up with China and Russia. California Governor Gavin Newsom blasted Trump, sharing a video of Modi greeting Putin and Xi with a blunt message: Trump caused this diplomatic setback. Newsom’s voice carries weight as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. John Bolton, Trump’s former National Security Adviser, echoed the blame, calling the Modi-China warmth “bad news” and linking it to Trump’s tariff moves and his claim over the India-Pakistan ceasefire earlier this year. Former US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns called Washington’s India policy an “own goal” on social media. Even Trump-supporting media figures like Jason Calcanis criticized the US approach, warning that Trump's harsh tariffs and tone risk pushing India into the “arms of dictators and despots.” In short, Modi’s appearance at the SCO summit alongside Putin and Xi has shaken Washington and stirred fiery debates on where India’s loyalties and future alliances lie. India’s dance with global powers is now under a microscope! Will Modi’s moves pay off or backfire? The world watches closely.

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Tags: Narendra modi, Sco summit, Russia, China, Us reaction, India foreign policy,