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

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in India.

Putin’s long-awaited trip to India began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi breaking protocol to welcome him at the Delhi airport. Putin, who is on a two-day visit, is making his first trip to India since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

Putin will have a state dinner with President Droupadi Murmu and hold bilateral talks with Modi during the 23rd India-Russia Summit tomorrow. His trip comes on the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between India and Russia, which was launched in October 2000.

Putin’s trip comes in the backdrop of talks between the United States and Russia over Ukraine failing to deliver a breakthrough. The Trump administration is also pressuring India to cut down on the purchase of Russian crude oil in the backdrop of the two countries negotiating a free trade deal.

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But what do we know about Modi personally receiving Putin at the airport? Why is this such a rare gesture?

Modi receives Putin personally

Modi on Thursday evening greeted Putin with a warm hug after he disembarked from his plane. “The Russian leader received a warm personal welcome from Prime Minister @narendramodi,” the foreign ministry posted on social media.

Modi and Putin then left the Delhi airport in the same official car, a Toyota Fortuner. This mirrored their previous meeting in China’s Tianjin earlier this year during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit where they shared a warm hug prior to their bilateral and shared a car ride in Putin’s Aurus car to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel where he was staying. The image, which went viral, was a reminder of their warm personal equation since Modi came to power in 2014.

Modi will also host a dinner for Putin – reciprocity for his July 2024 visit to Russia when Putin did the same for the prime minister. The Russian president, who touched down at Delhi’s Palam Airport, was also given a traditional welcome with a cultural dance.

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Putin was accompanied by senior ministers in the Russian government, including Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and Transport Minister Roman Nikitin. He is also being accompanied by a large contingent of Russian businessmen. Putin will also launch the Indian outlet of the state-run broadcaster RT during his trip to India.

Why this is a rare gesture

Because Modi has only received heads of state at airports on a handful of occasions since taking power in 2014.

Modi in February welcomed Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Thani, who was on a two-day visit to India, was also welcomed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Modi in January 2024 did the same for UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who had come to India for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Nahyan was given a ceremonial guard of honour during his arrival. The two leaders also embarked on a roadshow.

Prior to that, Modi did so for US President Donald Trump in 2020. Trump, who addressed a massive rally in Gujarat’s then Motera Stadium of more than 100,000 people, was welcomed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with a hug from his ‘dear friend’.

Modi extended the honour to two leaders in 2017 – then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Abe, who arrived in September at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, held a summit with Modi. Like Putin, Modi shared a warm personal relationship with Abe. The then Japanese prime minister was visiting to attend the India-Japan annual summit.

The two men also took part in a roadshow and attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. Hasina, a close ally, arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in April 2017.

Modi in January 2015 also welcomed then US President Barack Obama on his visit to India. Obama was in India as the chief guest for Republic Day, making history as the first US president to do so. This was the first time Modi had done so since taking power in 2014 and during Barack Obama’s second term as US president. Modi back then also greeted Obama, who was accompanied by his wife Michelle, with a warm hug.

With inputs from agencies