PM Modi, Xi shake hands at SCO summit; Shehbaz Sharif pulls in Putin for chat

World leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek on Tuesday came together for the formal group photograph, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharing a brief exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping as leaders gathered for the event.While PM Modi and Xi were seen shaking hands and speaking to each other for a short while before the leaders posed for the photograph, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was seen approaching Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately after the group photograph.As Putin walked away from the podium, Sharif appeared to stop him by grabbing his hand and then engaged him in a conversation.Before the formal photograph, PM Modi also met Putin briefly and the two leaders exchanged greetings. The interaction came a day after the Prime Minister held a substantive meeting with the Russian president in Bishkek, during which Modi made a fresh appeal for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.In his opening remarks during the meeting, Modi said the prolonged conflict was pushing humanity backwards and called on the two sides to move towards a peaceful resolution. "Every day spent on war pushes humanity backwards, whereas every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. We must move from endless war towards the end of war, which is very crucial for the well-being of humanity," Modi said.The prime minister stressed that peace in the conflict was not merely a bilateral concern but a priority for the international community, urging moving away from what he described as an "endless war".During their meeting, Modi and Putin also reviewed the broader India-Russia relationship, with discussions covering trade and investment as well as energy and fertiliser security.Their latest meeting also comes ahead of Putin's expected visit to India later this month for the annual BRICS summit.The two leaders also travelled together in Putin's limousine to the Nomad Games in Bishkek. Television footage showed Modi and Putin arriving together and entering the venue for the inauguration ceremony.Apart from his interactions with the Russian and Chinese leaders, PM Modi was also seen greeting Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi with a handshake.He also shared a warm moment with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with the two embracing during the summit proceedings.- EndsPublished On: Sep 1, 2026 10:45 IST