Russian President Vladimir Putin has held phone calls with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Trump has set a deadline for Russia to agree to a peace deal or face “secondary tariffs” on its key trading partners. Putin is demanding major territorial concessions by Ukraine in exchange for a halt to fighting. India is facing an additional 25% in U.S. tariffs over its continued purchase of Russian oil, set to kick in at the end of this month, on top of 25% “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect this week.
Modi said he had a “very good and detailed conversation” with the Russian leader, who briefed him on the latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war. He also reviewed the progress in their bilateral agenda and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Modi looked forward to hosting President Putin in India later this year.
Putin also spoke with Xi on Friday, briefing the Chinese president on his Wednesday huddle with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The Kremlin said that Xi showed support for the “settlement of the Ukrainian crisis on a long-term basis.” The Chinese president told Putin that Beijing, which provided crucial support to Russia’s war, would continue “promoting peace and dialogue.”
The calls come amid a flurry of diplomacy on all sides after the Wednesday meeting between Putin and Witkoff, which Trump said was “highly productive” and made “great progress.” The president warned last month that Russia could stare down “severe” tariffs if Moscow did not agree to a ceasefire within the next two months, a timeline he shortened to Friday of this week.
