India-Russia Summit 2025: Putin and Modi Strengthen Bilateral Ties in New Delhi

Russian President Putin received a ceremonial welcome upon arriving at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

New Delhi:

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday evening, as part of his two-day State visit to India.

Upon his arrival at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Putin was accorded a ceremonial welcome with President Murmu personally receiving the Russian leader.

During the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit held earlier on Friday, India and Russia strengthened their commitment to bilateral and multilateral cooperation against terrorism, extremism, organized crime, money laundering, terrorist financing, and illicit drug trafficking.

The Joint Statement following the summit saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin condemning terrorist attacks in both nations, specifically mentioning the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir and the Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow.

"The two Leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to preventing and countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border movement of terrorists and terrorist financing networks and safe havens. They condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in India in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, and in Russia at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22, 2024," the statement noted.

Earlier in the day, President Putin received a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he inspected the Guard of Honour while the national anthems of both Russia and India played.

Several high-ranking officials attended the ceremony, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Delhi LG VK Saxena, and CDS General Anil Chauhan. President Murmu and President Putin introduced each other to dignitaries from their respective countries, with the Russian delegation including Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and Kremlin aide Dmitry Peskov.

This visit marks the first in-person interaction between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin on Indian soil in four years, since their last meeting in December 2021. Breaking with protocol, PM Modi personally greeted Putin at the Palam Airport upon his arrival on Thursday.

Following a warm embrace at the airport, both leaders shared a car ride to the Prime Minister's Lok Kalyan Marg residence, where PM Modi presented Putin with a copy of the sacred Bhagavad Gita.

Prime Minister Modi expressed his delight at welcoming President Putin, writing on social media platform X: "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."

President Putin is scheduled to depart India late this evening, concluding his brief but significant diplomatic visit.