President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may be seeking to build support among countries that have backed Moscow or remained neutral in the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday flexed his country’s ties with India and China ahead of President Trump’s announcement of a planned meeting with Putin in Alaska on Aug. 17. Putin held phone calls with both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday,

This comes at a time when things are tense between New Delhi & Washington over additional tariffs imposed on India for purchase of Russian oil, and a day after Modi-Putin phone call.