Russian President Vladimir Putin was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he inspected a tri-services guard of honour and heard the Russian and Indian national anthems.
He was received by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and other dignitaries attended the ceremony. President Murmu and President Putin introduced each other to the visiting and Indian delegations. Among the Russian officials present were defence minister Andrey Belousov and Kremlin aide Dmitry Peskov.
The visit marks Putin’s two-day state visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi and comes four years after their last in-person meeting on Indian soil. Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday; Modi broke with protocol to greet him on the tarmac and welcomed him with a hug.
The two leaders shared a car ride to Modi’s Lok Kalyan Marg residence, where Putin was presented with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. Modi posted on X that the friendship between the two leaders is a “time-tested one” and expressed his pleasure at welcoming Putin back after four years.
During the visit, Putin is scheduled to hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Modi, participate in an India-Russia business forum, and launch the RT channel in India. He will also attend a state banquet hosted by President Murmu before departing later in the evening.
