‘My friend’: Narendra Modi hugs Vladimir Putin as he arrives in India
Vladimir Putin received a warm welcome from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrived in India for a two-day trip.
Vladimir Putin has received a warm welcome in India at the start of his two-day visit, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi breaking protocol to greet and hug the Russian President at the airport before the two leaders rode together in the same car.
Mr Putin, who is on his first visit to India since the Ukraine war, touched down at the Palam Air Base in New Delhi on Thursday, local time, for a brief state visit aimed at deepening defence ties, as India faces heavy US pressure to stop buying oil from Russia.
The Russian leader was accompanied by his Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, with possible deals on fighter jets and air defence systems expected to be discussed.
Mr Modi was at the airport to welcome the Russian leader in person, greeting him on the red carpet with a handshake and warm hug.
Instead of travelling in separate convoys, the two leaders left the airport together in the same car, where they were pictured sitting together in the back seat and smiling at cameras.
In an interview with India Today, Mr Putin said he was “very happy” to be meeting “my friend”.
“The range of our co-operation with India is huge,” he said in remarks translated by the broadcaster, citing ship and aircraft manufacturing, nuclear energy and space exploration.
In a post on X, the Indian Prime Minister said he was “delighted to welcome my friend, President Putin to India”.
“Looking forward to our interactions later this evening and tomorrow. India-Russia friendship is a time tested one that has greatly benefited our people,” he wrote.
Mr Modi will host Mr Putin for a private dinner on Thursday evening, followed by a summit meeting on Friday.
Trade relations are expected to feature prominently as India walks a diplomatic tightrope — relying on strategic Russian oil imports while trying not to provoke US President Donald Trump during ongoing tariff negotiations.
Energy imports
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks to expand the supply of Russia’s advanced S-400 air defence systems had an “important place on the agenda”.
Indian media reports suggested Moscow may also offer co-production of Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets.
India is one of the world’s top arms importers, and Russia has long been a principal supplier.
But New Delhi has also sought alternative suppliers, as well as boosting domestic production — with the Russian share of India’s arms imports falling from 76 per cent in 2009-13 to 36 per cent in 2019-23, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Mr Putin’s visit comes after Mr Trump imposed 50-percent tariffs on most Indian products in August, citing Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil – revenue Washington argues helps fund the war in Ukraine.
India, the world’s most populous nation, has become a major buyer of Russian oil, saving itself billions of dollars and providing Moscow with a much-needed export market after it was cut off from traditional buyers in Europe because of the war.
But Delhi has recently cut down on crude imports under pressure from sanctions on Russia’s top oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil.
The Indian government fears any fresh energy or defence deals with Russia could irk Trump, with possible ramifications on trade negotiations with Washington.
Peskov said Moscow wanted to “maintain and increase the volume of our bilateral business with India, without allowing anyone to interfere”.
Nandan Unnikrishnan, of the New Delhi-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation, told AFP: “There may be some reduction in energy purchases – under US pressure – but the overall direction of the ties will be maintained because both countries need each other at the strategic level.”
Putin vows Russia will seize Donbas region
Before arriving in New Delhi, Mr Putin told India Today Moscow would seize Ukraine’s Donbas region as efforts continue to end the war with Ukraine.
“Russia will liberate Donbas and Novorossiya in any case – by military or other means,” he said according to Russian state media TASS.
“It all boils down to this: either we will liberate these territories by force, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories and stop fighting there.”
It comes as the White House has confirmed Ukraine’s national security council will meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in for talks in Miami on Thursday, following Mr Witkoff talks with Mr Putin in Moscow.
The five hour meeting produced “no compromise” on ending the war in Ukraine.
‘Critical moment’
A senior Indian foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a need to address the trade imbalance “one way or the other”.
Bilateral trade reached $68.7 billion in 2024-25 – almost six times higher than the pre-pandemic levels – but Indian exports accounted for only $4.88 billion.
Delhi has been pressing Moscow for expanded market access for its key industries including pharmaceuticals, cars and the service sector.
Harsh V Pant, a professor of international relations at King’s College London, said the visit was an attempt by the two countries “to reset their relationship at a critical geopolitical moment for both”.
“For India, the optics is a statement of intent for strategic autonomy, and Putin, who rarely travels, is sending a message about the importance of the relationship by travelling here,” Pant told AFP.
The Indian foreign ministry official described the ties between Moscow and Delhi as the “most stable relationship in modern times”.
The official acknowledged the global geopolitical significance, but insisted that the meeting should be seen in the contexts “just another annual summit”.
The Russian president, in an interview shared by India Today on Thursday, acknowledged that the ongoing talks on Ukraine with the United States were complicated, but said they should be pursued.
“This is a complex task and a challenging mission that President (Donald) Trump took upon himself,” Putin said in the remarks translated by the broadcaster.
“Achieving consensus among competing parties is no easy task, but President Trump, truly, I believe — he sincerely tries to do this,” he added. “I think we should engage with this effort rather than obstruct it”.
