Putin India Go to 2025: The second Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plane touched down at Delhi’s Palam Airport, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was already there ready—a uncommon protocol break that immediately grew to become the defining picture of the go to. The handshake on the tarmac wasn’t only a courtesy; it was a strategic sign broadcast to the world.
Simply as Putin had invited Modi into his private automobile throughout Modi’s current go to to Russia, the Prime Minister reciprocated by having Putin trip with him in his personal automobile. The symbolism was unmistakable: this can be a partnership constructed on private belief and geopolitical calculation.
However there was one other layer to the second—one aimed squarely at Washington and Brussels. By personally receiving Putin, Modi despatched a message that India’s international coverage is firmly unbiased. India will collaborate with international powers, nevertheless it won’t accommodate at the price of its personal pursuits. New Delhi charts its personal course, and this reception underscored that actuality.
#WATCH | Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at 7 LKM, the official residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
President Putin is on a two-day State go to to India. He’ll maintain the twenty third India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Narendra Modi… pic.twitter.com/jMDN9JqOST
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025
Maybe essentially the most shocking aspect of the day got here subsequent. Regardless of travelling together with his specifically flown-in armoured limousine—one of many world’s most safe state automobiles—Putin set it apart. As a substitute, he joined Modi in a white Toyota Fortuner, a mannequin generally utilized by Indian politicians and officers.
Removed from extravagant, the 2024 Toyota Fortuner 4X2 diesel guide variant prices about ?34–35 lakh in its inventory type. The Fortuner used for the go to, after all, had superior bulletproofing and safety upgrades, dramatically elevating its worth. Nonetheless, in distinction to Putin’s ordinary motorcade, it was a modest trip. The SUV, a first-owner unit in Tremendous White, is a far cry from the high-end presidential automobiles seen in international capitals.
But this simplicity was exactly the purpose. Putin’s willingness to journey in India’s most simple political workhorse spoke volumes about Moscow’s belief in New Delhi’s safety equipment. It was additionally an oblique message to Pakistan: the world’s most closely guarded chief feels safer in a normal Indian SUV with Modi than anyplace close to Islamabad’s orbit.
The timing added much more weight. Weeks earlier than Putin’s arrival, a bomb blast in Delhi was seen by many as an try to create worry or disrupt the optics of the go to. However the photos from Monday informed a distinct story. With out firing a single bullet, India delivered a strategic rebuttal—exhibiting not worry, however confidence.
Two leaders in a easy white Fortuner, driving via Delhi, despatched a message with international implications: India is safe, sovereign, and unafraid. And its oldest companions belief it sufficient to take a seat beside its Prime Minister not in a fortress on wheels, however in one in all India’s commonest SUVs.