- By Shivangi Sharma
- Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:03 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in New Delhi on Thursday evening to begin his two-day state visit, where he was warmly received by PM Modi at the Palam Airport. Breaking standard protocol, PM Modi personally welcomed the Russian leader with a warm hug before the two leaders departed the airport together in the same car. Putin’s arrival drew global attention even before touchdown, with his aircraft becoming the most-tracked flight in the world, according to Flight Radar 24.
#WATCH | Russian President Vladimir Putin lands in Delhi; Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives him at the airport
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025
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
(Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/wFcL9of7Eg
The leaders drove directly to the Prime Minister’s residence for a private dinner. Their one-on-one conversation is expected to continue until around 8:30 PM, following which President Putin will return to his hotel for the night.
#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
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025
President Putin is on a two-day State visit to India. He will hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Narendra… pic.twitter.com/7Qz2cHOtnx
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 benefitted our people.@KremlinRussia_E pic.twitter.com/L7IORzRfV9
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 4, 2025
Leaders Travel Together In Same Car
This is not the first time the two leaders have travelled together in the same vehicle. They previously shared a car in September 2025 during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. Notably, while PM Modi’s car followed Putin’s Aurus Senat in China, Thursday’s arrival in Delhi saw the Russian President’s vehicle trailing PM Modi’s Toyota Fortuner.
High-Level Talks At Hyderabad House
The official engagements of Putin will start on Friday morning. He will meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and then visit Rajghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. The Russian leader is likely to spend about 30 minutes at the memorial before heading to Hyderabad House for the core diplomatic engagements.
PM Modi will host a formal lunch for President Putin at 2 PM at Hyderabad House. The rest of the afternoon has been kept for delegation-level talks. Both sides are likely to go over ongoing cooperation and discuss possibilities of expansion in defence, energy, nuclear cooperation, and long-term strategic projects.