You can't talk to India, China like that: Putin to US

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautioned the United States against trying to strong-arm India and China with tariffs and sanctions, a development that comes close on the heels of his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"You cannot talk to India or China in that way," Putting said, addressing the media after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and a military parade in Beijing. "The colonial era is now over. They have to realise they can't use these terms in speaking with partners."

Putin accused the Trump administration of using economic pressure as a tool to undermine two of Asia's biggest powers. He also mentioned that he debriefed Modi on the Alaska summit with Trump during his one-hour car drive with the Indian PM.


Putin said the US tariff regime was an attempt to "weaken the leadership of these countries".

"You have countries like India with 1.5 billion people, China, powerful economies, but they also have their own domestic political mechanisms and laws," he said. "When somebody tells you they are going to punish you, you have to think - how can the leadership of those big countries react?"