(MENAFN- Live Mint) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled in the same car as they departed from the Palam Technical Airport in Delhi on Thursday evening.

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 5 December.

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Reflecting the importance India attaches to the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Putin at New Delhi's Palam airport with a warm hug and a warm welcome to India after a four-year gap.

The two leaders left the airport in the same car, nearly three months after they travelled together in a vehicle in China. PM Modi and President Putin had travelled in the same vehicle, assigned for Putin in that case, to the venue of their bilateral meeting after the proceedings at the SCO summit venue in the Chinese city of Tianjin in September 2025.

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As Putin landed in India on Thursday, he received a ceremonial welcome upon arrival, highlighting the strong ties between India and Russia. PM Modi was not seen in his usual Range Rover but accompanied Russian leader Putin in a Toyota Fortuner for the drive from the airport to the Prime Minister's residence. The vehicle, registered as MH01EN5795, gained attention after images surfaced online. The vehicle runs on diesel and is part of the specialised fleet often deployed by security agencies for VIP movement.

Putin's visit to India highlights Russia's efforts to maintain global influence despite Western isolation.

The visit underscores India's strategic balancing act in global politics, as it strengthens ties with Russia while navigating its relationships with the West. Key discussions may include the Ukraine conflict, Afghanistan, and expanding the India-Russia Strategic Partnership.

When Putin was asked in an interview about their carpool on September 1 in his Aurus Senat limousine, he had said that the car ride was his idea. "It was a symbol of our friendship," Putin told India Today before he left Moscow for Delhi.

"We talked throughout the drive; there's always something to discuss. We even sat inside the car for quite some time afterward," he added.

In September, PM Modi had posted a photo of it on X. The overt show of friendship between the two leaders came amid straining India-US ties after Donald Trump imposed with high tariffs on its purchase of Russian crude oil, despite the Ukraine war.

Modi and Putin's bonhomie, though, goes back almost three decades. Modi had visited Russia with then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001 as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

(With agency inputs)

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