Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout a joint press assertion after their assembly on the Hyderabad Home, in New Delhi. (PTI Photograph/Salman Ali)
NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded his two-day state go to to India on Friday with a particular dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This was his first journey to India since December 2021—and his first because the Ukraine struggle started in February 2022—throughout which he attended the twenty third annual summit between the 2 nations in Delhi.Earlier within the day, Putin was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan earlier than continuing to Hyderabad Home for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His first presidential go to to India befell in October 2000, when he travelled to Delhi and Agra.Listed here are the important thing takeaways from his go to:
PM breaks protocol: Upon his arrival on Thursday night, Putin was acquired at Palam airport by PM Modi, who broke protocol to welcome him personally — a gesture that underscored the bizarre heat and longstanding rapport between the 2 leaders.
‘Carpooling’: The 2 leaders then “carpooled” to the prime minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg for a non-public dinner. The gesture echoed their earlier trip collectively in Putin’s automotive to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit venue in Tianjin final September, a small however telling show of the straightforward camaraderie they typically share.
The Bhagwad Gita: After the personal dinner, the prime minister offered his visitor with a Russian version of the Bhagwad Gita. Sharing {a photograph} from their interplay, PM Modi highlighted the common attraction of the scripture. “Presented a copy of the Gita in Russian to President Putin. The teachings of the Gita offer inspiration to millions across the world,” he wrote.
Rajghat go to: Putin additionally went to Rajghat and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
PM’s message on Ukraine: Throughout their talks, PM Modi underscored that on the Ukraine battle, India is “not neutral” however “on the side of peace.” He mentioned, “Whenever I have interacted with world leaders, I have always made it clear that India is not neutral. India has a side, and that side is peace. We support all efforts aimed at peace, and we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with every initiative that furthers it.”
Putin ‘grateful’ to India: The Russian chief responded by saying he was “grateful” for the eye India was giving to peace efforts on Ukraine. He added that Russia and India proceed to cooperate intently throughout a number of sectors, together with defence, house exploration, synthetic intelligence and several other different strategic areas.
India’s Russian oil conundrum: With New Delhi dealing with US tariffs of fifty per cent — half of them linked to its buy of Russian oil — Putin despatched a pointed message to the West, significantly Washington, by declaring that Moscow is able to guarantee “uninterrupted shipments of fuel to India.”
Financial Cooperation: Throughout their joint briefing, the prime minister introduced a brand new financial cooperation programme geared toward increasing bilateral commerce quantity to $100 billion via 2030 — a major increase to ties between the 2 international locations. “Taking the India–Russia economic partnership to new heights is our common priority,” PM Modi mentioned.
Free Commerce Settlement: Talking at a enterprise discussion board later, PM Modi famous that discussions have begun on the Free Commerce Settlement between India and Eurasian Financial Union (Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Putin echoes ‘Sabka Saath…’: In the course of the Rashtrapati Bhavan dinner, Putin invoked Prime Minister Modi’s trademark slogan “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” (striving collectively for inclusive development), making use of it to the India–Russia partnership. “I know in India you say ‘Go Together, Grow Together’ (Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas), which truly reflects the nature and character of Russia–India relations,” he remarked.
