WATCH: PM Modi receives President Putin at Delhi airport, both leaders travel in same car

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin at Palam Airport in Delhi, setting aside formal protocol for the occasion.

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 Delhi on Friday.

#WATCH | Russian President Vladimir Putin lands in Delhi; Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives him at the airport

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 Delhi on December 5 pic.twitter.com/yB76u5aovS

— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025

The two leaders shared a warm hug upon Putin’s arrival. After landing, they travelled together in the same car to PM Modi’s residence for a private dinner.

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#WATCH | 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… pic.twitter.com/R1CgPlj2B6

— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025

The last time PM Modi and President Putin travelled in the same car was during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in China, a moment that quickly drew widespread attention and photos.

PM Modi shared a photo of the rare carpool on X, captioning it: “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.”

The two leaders continued their discussions for 45 minutes inside the vehicle upon reaching the hotel, before moving on to their formal bilateral meeting.

Putin’s official schedule

Putin’s official schedule will begin tomorrow morning with a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, followed by a brief visit to Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

He will then proceed to Hyderabad House, where most diplomatic discussions will take place. Prime Minister Modi will host a lunch for Putin around 2 pm.

The afternoon is reserved for structured meetings between the two delegations to review ongoing cooperation and explore new areas of partnership.

The visit comes amid strong India-Russia political and economic ties, with discussions expected to focus on defence, energy, trade, and long-term strategic projects.

With inputs from agencies