A hug, handshake, car ride: Modi rolls out warm welcome for Putin - 10 things to know

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for a state visit aimed at boosting defence, energy and trade ties with India — a relationship now worth nearly $69 billion and expected to cross $100 billion by 2030, according to official estimates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Putin at Palam airport with a hug and a handshake before the two leaders departed together in the Prime Minister’s car, signalling warmth amid a complicated global backdrop.

Putin’s visit comes as Washington intensifies its push for a Ukraine peace deal, putting New Delhi in a difficult balancing act between its traditional strategic partner Moscow and key economic partners in the United States and Europe.

The trade relationship currently heavily favours Russia, driven largely by India’s discounted crude imports, while Indian exports remain small by comparison. The upcoming summit will look at easing that imbalance and unlocking investment in defence manufacturing, nuclear cooperation, technology transfers and energy supplies.

Here are the 10 takeaways

1. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Delhi around 6:35 pm on Thursday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted him with a warm hug and a firm handshake at Palam airport before both leaders left together in the PM’s car.

2. The informal carpool ride — rather than separate motorcades — was a deliberate show of personal rapport, mirroring other moments when Modi has used optics to signal closeness with strategic partners.

3. Modi will host Putin for a private dinner at his decorated official residence on Thursday night, a reciprocal gesture to the hospitality shown by the Russian leader during Modi’s Moscow visit in July 2024.

4. On Friday, Putin will receive a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, followed by summit talks and a working lunch at Hyderabad House — the traditional venue for India’s highest-level diplomatic engagements.

5. Putin will lay a wreath at Rajghat in the morning to pay his respects to Mahatma Gandhi, a symbolic gesture often made by visiting heads of state.

6. The Russian leader is travelling with a large business delegation, and India hopes to reduce the current $59 billion trade imbalance driven largely by discounted Russian crude purchases.

7. Talks will focus on defence, energy and trade, with multiple agreements expected in shipping, healthcare, fertilisers, connectivity and technology cooperation.

8. Defence ministers of both countries discussed India’s pending S-400 deliveries and Moscow’s offer to supply Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets, putting Russia in competition with Western suppliers including Rafale, F-21 and Eurofighter.

9. Putin told India Today that Russia plans cooperation with India in “cutting-edge technology, space exploration and nuclear energy,” adding: “India is a great power, not a British colony. Everyone will have to accept that.”

10. Delhi Police have deployed over 5,000 personnel, snipers on rooftops, anti-drone systems and high-definition CCTV coverage in central Delhi as layered security surrounds the two-day visit.

The visit will test New Delhi’s strategic balancing as it navigates competing expectations from Moscow, Washington and NATO on the Ukraine conflict, while seeking to deepen economic cooperation with Russia.