PM Modi–Putin ‘car selfie’ becomes flashpoint in US Congress

In a rare moment of diplomatic theater on Capitol Hill, a now-viral car selfie of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin became a prop — and a warning. Holding the enlarged image aloft during a congressional hearing on US foreign policy, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove accused the Trump administration of sabotaging a critical partnership by pressuring India into Moscow’s embrace.

“Trump’s policies towards India can only be described as cutting our nose to spite our face,” she said, arguing that Washington’s coercive tactics are inflicting “real and lasting damage” on strategic trust between the two democracies. Pointing to the Modi–Putin photo, she added: “This poster is worth a thousand words. You don’t get a Nobel Peace Prize by driving US strategic partners into the arms of our adversaries.”

Kamlager-Dove urged lawmakers to respond “with incredible urgency” to repair the relationship, warning that US missteps — not India’s decisions — are straining ties. “Being a coercive partner has a cost,” she said. “Congress understands the stakes on a bipartisan basis.”

The image at the heart of the controversy was taken last week when Putin, on a two-day visit to India, rode with Modi shortly after landing at Delhi’s Palam Airport — a personal gesture the Kremlin framed as a symbol of warmth between the leaders. The two had last shared a car during an SCO Summit, travelling in a Russian-made Aurus sedan, in a moment widely viewed as a display of their close rapport.

“The car ride with PM Modi was my idea. It was a symbol of our friendship,” Putin told India Today in an exclusive interview.

Putin’s arrival in Delhi, marked by a red-carpet welcome, handshake and hug, was his first official visit to India since the Russia–Ukraine war began in 2022. The leaders later drove to the Prime Minister’s residence for a private dinner — an image now reverberating in Washington as a warning shot about the future of US-India relations.