The displays of warmth and laughter between the leaders of India, China, and Russia in Tianjin underscored how much US President Donald Trump has shaken up global diplomacy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held hands with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and shared a car ride with him, and also met with China’s Xi Jinping at the summit, in what analysts said signaled to Trump that India will align with other powerful nations if Washington pressures it to stop buying Russian oil.
Modi’s friendly exchanges with two world leaders who seek to challenge the US with an alternative world order constituted “deliberate diplomatic theater… that will make Trump squirm,” The Economic Times wrote. Indeed, Trump renewed his attacks on New Delhi Monday.