Indian PM Modi holds hands with Putin at summit

The prime minister embraced the Russian president in a warm hug in Tianjin and the pair appeared calm and relaxed in each others’ company, laughing and joking.

Both men met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other leaders of nations belonging to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a bloc of Asian countries with shared interests.

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Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus are also member states while others are also observers.

Mr Modi had said that previously frosty relations with China have moved in "a meaningful direction", adding: "There is a peaceful environment at the borders after disengagement”.

However, his body language in greeting Mr Putin perhaps says more than anything he uttered.

The Indian PM walked hand-in-hand with his Russian counterpart for around five seconds, signifying a closer bond than the mere handshake performed between Mr Putin and Donald Trump when the two met last month.

The US had been pressuring India to stop buying Russian oil in the wake of the war in Ukraine, but Mr Modi’s public stance suggests that he is not willing to bend.

For Mr Putin, it was a chance to show that he has allies on the international stage.

"Dear friend, both I and the entire Russian delegation are pleased to meet once again with our Chinese friends and colleagues," he told Mr Xi.

North Korea is not represented in Tianjin but it is understood Mr Putin’s next port-of-call will be to meet with his ally Kim Jong Un.

It is the first time in six years that he will meet the secretive state’s leader in the presence of Mr Xi.