Russian President Vladimir Putin and PM Narendra Modi address a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. (Image Credit: X/ @narendramodi)
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on the evening of December 4, launching a two-day state visit to India, his first since the 2022 Ukraine war. His aircraft, the specially-modified Ilyushin IL-96-300PU, often referred to as the “Flying Kremlin”, was tracked in real time by global flight-tracker services, becoming the most-tracked flight in the world at the time.
He was received personally by the PM at the Palam Air Force Station in Delhi, a break from standard diplomatic protocol, indicative of the importance of the visit. The two leaders travelled together in a car en route to a private dinner at the PM's residence, reviving what observers have termed "carpool diplomacy".
Security was tightened across the capital with a five-layer grid comprising anti-drone systems, jammers, rooftop snipers and AI-enabled real-time surveillance, reflecting the high-profile nature of the visit.
The two leaders began their visit by having a private dinner at the Prime Minister's residence informal but very important overture before the formal summit. Discussed, according to reports, were nuclear energy agreements, S-400 supplies, and upgrade routes for the Su-30 fleet.
The leaders will also attend a major business event at Bharat Mandapam, which is jointly organised by FICCI and Roscongress. The forum will be aimed at strengthening commercial ties and highlighting the investment opportunities across key sectors, which showcases a much broader economic focus beyond defence and energy.
This visit comes in tandem with the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit, marking 25 years of their strategic partnership.
Day 2 will involve a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, a tribute at Raj Ghat, followed by formal summit discussions with the Indian delegation at Hyderabad House.
More than ten intergovernmental agreements and upwards of 15 commercial MoUs are expected to be signed, officials said. These are likely to span defence, energy, trade, technology, healthcare, agriculture, fertilisers, connectivity, and people-to-people cooperation.
Defence is expected to dominate the conversations, including updates on advanced missile-defence systems, namely the S-400s, upgrades of existing hardware such as the Su-30MKI fighters, and long-term acquisitions such as the Su-57 stealth jets.
Apart from defence, the other areas of priority include nuclear-energy cooperation, bilateral trade expansion, and cooperation in emerging areas like AI, space, technology partnerships, and mobility of skilled labour.
The joint press statement is scheduled for around 1:50 PM (IST) at the Hyderabad House.
Watch Here:
It will be officially livestreamed on the YouTube channel of PMO India and one can watch it there in real time.
