Putin Recalls Xi Coined ‘Elephant-Dragon’ For India-China Ties, Says Russia's 'Bear' Added Later

Russian President Vladimir Putin, while speaking on Russia-India-China (RIC) relations, revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had coined the metaphor of a "dragon and elephant dance" to describe China's ties with India. He noted that it was the media that later added Russia's "bear" to the imagery.

Addressing the Eastern Economic Forum 2025, Putin quipped that Russia could just as well be symbolised by the tiger, given that the Amur or Siberian tiger is native to the country's Far East. “Of course, the bear is Russia's symbol, but here in the Far East, the world's biggest tiger lives,” he remarked, according to Russia Today.

Putin further mentioned the US emblem, the double-headed eagle, saying that while it looks both West and East, “there is also the South, you know.”

The RIC format, proposed by Moscow in 1998, seeks to deepen coordination between the three powers on global issues, forming part of a broader push to strengthen non-Western groupings such as Brics.

Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social said, “Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! (sic)”

His comments came after Xi hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin earlier this week.

Trump's remarks underscore Washington's unease at closer ties between New Delhi, Moscow and Beijing. The US has long seen India as a counterweight to China's growing clout. However, Trump's tariffs on Indian goods and his criticism of India's oil trade with Russia have strained relations.