Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Vladimir Putin at Palam airport with a handshake and hug before the two rode together to the PM’s residence, a reception the Kremlin said it had not been told to expect.
- Russia’s State Duma has approved the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support pact with India, positioning a potential step-up in military logistics access once signed.
- Putin arrived with a heavyweight delegation that includes the defence, finance, agriculture, economic development, health, interior and transport ministers, plus central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina.
- In a pre-arrival exclusive with AajTak/India Today, Putin said cooperation is being prepared in space, nuclear technology, shipbuilding, aircraft-building and AI, while declining to disclose specific agreements before formal signings.
- Addressing the Ukraine conflict in the same interview, Putin said outcomes narrow to Russia securing the breakaway regions by force or a Ukrainian withdrawal, and he separately referenced ongoing contacts involving U.S. President Donald Trump.