Modi further stated that he looks forward to hosting President Putin in India later this year, confirming that the Russian leader has been invited for the annual bilateral summit.

The 50% tariffs President Trump announced this week were officially designed to drive a wedge between India and Russia, but so far the only rupture they've caused is with the United States. Why it matters: The steep levies over India's purchases of Russian oil are threatening to unravel years of calculated U.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday shared that he held a “very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin,” as President Trump has ramped up tariff threats this week against New Delhi for Russian oil purchases.