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Car rides and hand-holding: Putin, Modi and Xi send Trump a pointed message
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/putin-modi-xi-trump-china-summit-russia-ukraine-war-tariffs-india-rcna228356TIANJIN, China — 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.
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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.
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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.
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That friction had also given India a reason to “mend fences” with China, said Alyssa Ayres, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.
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