Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to the leaders of China, India and three ex-Soviet states on Friday in a flurry of calls to brief them on his contacts with the United States about the war in Ukraine.

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.

Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X on Friday.