PM Modi welcomes Putin with red-carpet reception and warm hug at Delhi airport | Video
PM Modi is hosting a private dinner for Putin this evening, in a reciprocal gesture to the hospitality extended to the Indian Prime Minister by the Russian leader during his visit to Moscow in July last year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night began a nearly 27-hour visit to India, aimed at reinforcing a bilateral partnership that has endured for close to eight decades despite a turbulent global environment and geopolitical tensions. In a rare diplomatic gesture that underscores the strong ties between India and Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally received Putin at New Delhi's Palam airport with a hug and accorded him a warm welcome to India after a gap of four years, breaking the standard protocol.
Putin was welcomed with a cultural performance as he exited the airport, after which the two leaders departed in the same car, sharing yet another "car moment." This comes nearly three months after Modi and Putin travelled together in a vehicle in China's Tianjin following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
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'Delighted to welcome my friend': PM Modi
Expressing joy on President Putin’s arrival, in a post on X, the Prime Minister said, "Delighted to welcome my friend, President Putin, to India. Looking forward to our interactions later this evening and tomorrow. India-Russia friendship is a time-tested one that has greatly benefitted our people."
'Unexpected': Kremlin on PM Modi's surprise airport welcome
The Kremlin on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Modi's unexpected gesture of personally receiving Russian President Vladimir Putin at Palam Airport upon his arrival in New Delhi. Officials in Moscow noted that the Indian side had not informed them in advance, making the moment even more striking. According to the Kremlin, Modi’s decision to walk up to the aircraft ramp to greet Putin was a warm and unanticipated move. "Modi's decision to meet Putin at the aircraft ramp was unexpected, and the Russian side had not been informed in advance," the Kremlin said in a statement.
On Thursday evening, PM Modi is hosting a private dinner for the Russian President, a reciprocal gesture to the hospitality extended to him during his visit to Moscow in July last year. Their discussions over dinner are expected to set the tone for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit on Friday, where several key agreements and strategic outcomes are anticipated.
Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure, and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit meeting between the two leaders that is expected to be closely watched by Western capitals. The Russian leader's visit to New Delhi has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of a rapid downturn in India-US relations. Following the summit, the two sides are expected to seal several agreements, including in areas of trade.
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