The men shared bear hugs, showered praise on each other and made appearances side by side at stadium rallies — a big optics boost for two populist leaders with ideological similarities. Each called the other a good friend.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi struck a defiant tone in the face of US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, urging the nation to buy local goods as his administration signaled it would continue buying Russian oil.

Donald Trump said he planned to “substantially” raise tariffs on imports from India because of its purchases of Russian oil, in a new escalation of tensions between Washington and New Delhi.