... A private car ride with Vladimir Putin may not be as special as President Donald Trump thought.
With a backseat bromance of their own, as well as hand-holding and hugs, the Russian leader, his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, and their host, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, put on a display Monday that seemed designed to turn heads in Washington.
The three leaders staked out long-held positions in comments at this key regional summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, but the tenor and the timing of the trio's embrace was impossible to ignore.
India, long courted by the West as a crucial Asian partner and counterweight to China, has been rattled by Trump's tariffs; the Kremlin has publicly brushed aside Washington's peace push in Ukraine; and Beijing continues to spar with the U.S. over trade, Taiwan and global influence.
Amid this thicket of tensions, the cozy optics at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathering appeared a clear signal in the face of U.S. pressure.
Weeks after Trump and Putin made headlines with a protocol-busting ride in "The Beast" at their Alaska summit, Modi joined the Russian leader for a drive in the back of Putin's own armored limo " a not-so-subtle statement of defiance just days after the U.S. doubled tariffs on India to 50% as punishment for buying Russian oil. ...
