Washington DC: White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro launched a sharp criticism against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for holding meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China.

Navarro described the engagement as “shameful,” accusing Modi of aligning with “authoritarian dictators.” Speaking to reporters, Navarro stated, “It was a shame to see Modi getting in bed as a leader of the biggest democracy in the world with the two biggest authoritarian dictators in the world – Putin and Xi Jinping. That doesn’t make any sense. We hope he comes around to seeing that he needs to be with us, Europe, and Ukraine – not Russia.”

He urged India to reduce its dependency on Russian oil and instead strengthen economic and strategic ties with the United States and its allies. This criticism comes amid tensions between Washington and New Delhi over high tariffs on Indian goods and penalties related to discounted Russian crude oil purchases.

Earlier, Navarro had expressed similar concerns following Modi’s bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping, saying, “Modi’s a great leader, but I don’t understand why he’s getting into bed with Putin and Xi Jinping when he’s the leader of the biggest democracy in the world. I would simply say to the Indian people: please understand what’s going on here. You’ve got profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop.”

At the SCO summit, PM Modi highlighted India’s commitment to improving connectivity among member states to boost trade and economic growth. “India has always believed that strong connectivity not only boosts trade but also opens doors to growth and trust,” Modi said.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that SCO dialogue is laying the foundation for a new Eurasian security system, moving away from Eurocentric models. He noted that trade within the SCO increasingly uses national currencies and the pace of cooperation is accelerating.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the SCO to uphold fairness and justice while addressing the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State.