Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives on two-day State Visit, received by PM Modi at airport

According to LatestNewsX, Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Delhi on Thursday for a brief state visit that will see him meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport. The two leaders shared a warm embrace on the tarmac and then departed together in the same vehicle, underscoring the friendly atmosphere of the meeting.

A short cultural show was shown to the visitors as part of the welcome ceremony, after which the streets of Delhi were decked out in banners celebrating the Russian leader’s arrival. This salute signals the start of a diplomatic chapter of substantial significance.

In the evening, Modi will host a private dinner for Putin at his official residence, a courtesy that mirrors the hospitality Modi himself extended when he visited Moscow last year. This will be Putin’s first trip to India since the conflict in Ukraine began in 2022.

The 23rd India‑Russia Annual Summit is slated for Friday. That gathering comes amid U.S. sanctions against New Delhi and focuses on deepening defence collaboration, as well as expanding trade and energy ties. That day, Putin will receive a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan before formal talks take place at Hyderabad House, and he will lay a wreath at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.

Ahead of the visit, Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian President, told TASS that the dinner‑time meeting with Modi represents one of the key points of the trip. He added that the leaders will address major bilateral and international issues, discuss a narrow and expanded format of talks, and sign a series of agreements. According to him, India and Russia plan to launch a programme for strategic trade cooperation that will run until 2030.

The itinerary also anticipates several accords, including measures to ease the movement of Indian workers to Russia. The governments may also consider India’s proposal for a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union—a one‑year‑old goal of New Delhi aimed at boosting strategic and economic collaboration.

After the summit, Putin is scheduled to appear at a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu and to inaugurate RT’s new “India” channel, signalling a broadening of media outreach and cultural influence.

The Ministry of External Affairs notes that the visit will allow India and Russia to reassess progress in their partnership, plan future strengthening of the “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,” and exchange views on regional and global concerns of common interest.

For many years, Russia has been a trusted ally of India. Since the 2000 declaration of a strategic partnership, the two nations have forged deeper cooperation across politics, security, defence, trade, science, culture, and people‑to‑people exchanges.

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