BISHKEK, September 1, 2026: A striking display of camaraderie among the leaders of India, Russia and China has emerged at the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shared a warm moment on the sidelines of the gathering.
During the summit’s family photo session on Tuesday, the three leaders were seen smiling, holding hands and forming a brief human chain as they greeted one another.
A video posted by the Kremlin Pool captured the cordial exchange among the three leaders. Sharing the footage, the Kremlin Pool described the moment with the caption: “Strategic alignment: Russia-India-China.”
The scene came a day after Modi and Putin held a bilateral meeting on Monday. No formal bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi had been scheduled at the summit at that time.
The brief interaction also evoked memories of a widely discussed moment involving the same three leaders at last year’s 25th SCO Summit in China. On that occasion, Modi, Putin and Xi were seen holding hands and talking with smiles for an extended period after entering the summit venue, in an interaction that lasted around 90 seconds.
The latest display of warmth comes against the backdrop of complex geopolitical relations involving the three major powers, making their public interaction at the SCO gathering particularly noteworthy.
Source: India Today