The rare show of unity between Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin underscored how energy has drawn Russia, China and India closer together. For Moscow, it was an opportunity to strengthen ties with its two largest oil buyers, who have become lifelines after Western sanctions cut off much of its traditional trade.
Russia has leaned heavily on energy sales to sustain its economy since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and both Beijing and New Delhi have stepped in. Last year China bought more than 100 million tonnes of Russian crude, nearly a fifth of its total energy imports, while India’s imports from Moscow skyrocketed to around $140 billion since the war began. Together, the two nations now account for the bulk of Russia’s energy exports, which fund roughly a quarter of its national budget.
Analysts say Moscow is likely to offer even deeper discounts to lock in India, which faces pressure from Washington to scale back purchases. Yet New Delhi has shown little intention of stepping away. Modi reaffirmed his partnership with Putin, declaring the two countries “have walked together shoulder to shoulder,” while Indian officials insist they will continue to buy energy wherever the best deal is found.
For Modi, doubling down on Russian crude is both practical and political. It helps keep energy costs down for Indian refiners and signals to his domestic audience that India will not yield to U.S. pressure, even as ties with Washington fray under Trump’s new 25% tariffs on Indian goods. Beijing, too, has boosted purchases of Russian oil while seeking to project itself as a leader of a multipolar world, rallying countries hit by U.S. tariffs to its side.
The summit highlighted how shared frustration with Washington’s sanctions and tariffs has created common ground between three countries with often-complicated relationships. For Russia, India and China, energy has become both a tool of survival and a strategic bond, reshaping global alliances in the face of American pressure.
