Tale of 2 carpools: How shared car rides have become Modi-Putin’s signature show of bonhomie

When Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in New Delhi on Thursday for his two-day high-octane visit to India, he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the world a strong visual of their friendship — a car ride together.

Putin arrived around 7 pm to a red-carpet welcome from Indian officials. PM Modi greeted him at the airport with a handshake and a warm hug, something he doesn’t usually do for visiting leaders.

It’s also uncommon for the Prime Minister to travel with a foreign dignitary in the same vehicle, but an exception was again made for Putin, who is visiting India for the first time in four years.

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And this isn’t their first shared ride. Back in September 2025, during the SCO Summit in Tianjin, the two were seen travelling together in Putin’s bulletproof car, Aurus Senat, drawing widespread global attention.

Here’s a closer look at Modi and Putin’s ‘carpool’ moments.

Modi’s gesture a ‘surprise’ for Putin 

When Putin’s aircraft touched down at Delhi’s Palam Airport, PM Modi was already there to receive him, a gesture that even the Russian side did not expect. According to a News18 report, the Kremlin said Modi’s decision to greet Putin “was unexpected, and the Russian side had not been informed in advance."

From the tarmac, both leaders got into the back seat of a white Toyota Fortuner, part of the PM’s security convoy. The vehicle carried the flags of both India and Russia.

Modi meets (and hugs, of course) Putin at the airport.

Russia and India… ready to rock and roll?

(Is Trump watching? 😆) pic.twitter.com/vevh5Jc1yt

— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) December 4, 2025

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Why PM Modi receiving Putin at Delhi airport is such a rare gesture

Modi usually uses a black Range Rover Sentinel for official movement, but the two did not take that car this time. Instead, they travelled together in the white car to the Prime Minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, where they had a private dinner meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travel in the same car, as they depart from the Palam Technical Airport in Delhi

President Putin is on a two-day State visit to India. He will hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Narendra Modi in… pic.twitter.com/OTGEJmPCrB

— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025

This visit marks P utin’s first trip to India since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022. Before landing, his aircraft, often called the ‘Flying Kremlin’, became the most tracked flight in the world on Flight Radar 24.

Welcomed my friend, President Putin to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.@KremlinRussia_E pic.twitter.com/2L7AZ1WIph

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 4, 2025

Putin’s 28-hour stay in India includes the 23rd India-Russia Summit, which will focus on boosting trade and deepening defence cooperation. He will also address a joint press conference at Hyderabad House, followed by a visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet President Droupadi Murmu before he departs.

The viral carpool from SCO was Putin’s idea

Modi and Putin’s first carpool moment actually happened last year during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. In September 2025, the two leaders travelled together in a Russian-made Aurus sedan while heading to the Ritz-Carlton, creating a moment that quickly went viral.

Speaking to India Today, Putin said the idea came from him. “The car ride with PM Modi was my idea. It was a symbol of our friendship,” he said. “We talked throughout the drive; there’s always something to discuss. We even sat inside the car for quite some time afterward.”

After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful. pic.twitter.com/oYZVGDLxtc

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2025

PM Modi also shared a photo from that day on X. He wrote, “After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful."

Both leaders reportedly sat inside the car for nearly an hour before moving on to their next meetings.

Their public show of warmth also came at a sensitive moment. India’s trade ties with the US had become strained after Donald Trump imposed high tariffs on India for buying Russian crude oil during the Ukraine war. Delhi defended its position, saying its decisions were guided by national interest.

Modi and Putin’s relationship, however, goes much further back. Modi had travelled to Russia in 2001 as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, during then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit.

Has PM Modi received foreign leaders at the airport before?

Yes, he has.

Putin now joins a small group of world leaders who have been personally welcomed by PM Modi at the airport. This list includes Barack Obama (2015), Sheikh Hasina (2017), Abe Shinzo (2017), Crown Prince Salman (2019), Donald Trump (2020), Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (2024), and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (2025).

But what happened during Putin’s arrival went a step further than any of those previous greetings.

While PM Modi has shared car rides with a few foreign leaders in the past, Shinzo Abe during a 2017 roadshow, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a 2024 roadshow, and Putin again earlier this year in Tianjin, this is the first time he has travelled with a visiting leader straight from the airport to his residence in India.

With input from agencies