PM Modi's car diplomacy: A bonhomie with world leaders in pictures
PM Modi's car diplomacy: A bonhomie with world leaders in pictures
From Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Russian President Vladimir Putin, here are some recent moments when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "carpool diplomacy" with global leaders has drawn widespread attention.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often caught global attention with his informal "car diplomacy," using short drives with leaders to build personal rapport beyond official meetings. These moments inside cars have reflected a blend of trust, chemistry, and ease that goes beyond protocol.
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From drives with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the images highlight how diplomacy can be warm and personal. The visuals underline PM Modi's distinctive style of engaging world leaders while reinforcing India's confident global presence.
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Prime Minister Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Israel, shared a car ride with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as the two leaders headed to a technology exhibition following PM Modi's address at the Knesset, highlighting the personal touch that has come to define his diplomatic outreach.
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Showcasing a warm and personal rapport, PM Modi shared a ride with French President Emmanuel Macron as the leaders headed to the India-France Innovation Forum in Mumbai. The move highlights the close working relationship between the two leaders and their personal rapport.
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Prime Minister Modi, who visited Malaysia in early February, highlighted the warmth and personal rapport shared with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, saying that the latter's gesture of personally receiving him at the Kuala Lumpur airport following his arrival and sharing a car ride reflected his "love and respect for India".
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During Russian President Putin's two-day Delhi visit in December, PM Modi personally received him at the airport following his arrival in the country and also shared the same car ride, which took them to the Prime Minister's residence at the Lok Kalyan Marg, a gesture both sides cast as a sign of personal warmth. The leaders last shared a car during the SCO Summit in China, when they travelled in a made-in-Russia Aurus sedan -- a moment widely read as a display of their close rapport.
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For UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who visited for a roughly two-hour visit, PM Modi broke protocol to receive him personally at the airport in the national capital, greeting him with a warm embrace and travelled together from the airport in the same car, underscoring a relationship that extends well beyond the formalities of statecraft.
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PM Modi had also shared a car ride with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was on a two-day official visit to India in January. PM Modi shared a picture of him sharing a ride with him, tweeting, "The friendship between India and Germany continues to grow through shared values, extensive cooperation and mutual understanding."
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Jordan Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, in December last year, personally drove Prime Minister Modi to the Jordan Museum in Amman, in a special gesture reflecting the warmth of ties between India and the Arab nation. The Crown Prince is a 42nd-generation direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad.
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Ethiopia's Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, in December 2025, personally received PM Modi, who was visiting the East African nation for the first time, at Addis Ababa airport, drove him to his hotel, and made an unscheduled stop at the Science Museum and Friendship Park.
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In October 2025, PM Narendra Modi shared a ride with British PM Keir Starmer during the latter's two-day visit to India. Sharing the picture, PM Modi remarked that India-UK ties were "on the move" and "filled with great vigour," reinforcing the symbolic messaging behind such gestures.
