Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a rare diplomatic gesture, received Russian President Vladimir Putin personally at Delhi's Palam Airport on Thursday. The Indian Prime Minister shook hands with his Russian counterpart and enveloped him in a warm hug before both leaders left in the same car, signalling the close personal and strategic ties between the two nations.
A personal touch beyond protocol
Reportedly, receiving a visiting head of state personally at the airport is not part of the established protocol in India, with the arrival being typically handled by ministers, senior officials, or officials specifically entrusted with protocol duties. PM Modi has, on a few occasions, made it a point to personally receive foreign dignitaries, underlining friendliness and personal warmth in relationships with counterparts.
Notably, on August 31, 2025, President Vladimir V. Putin waited for about 10 minutes so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could join him in his presidential car before heading to the venue of their bilateral meeting in Tianjin, China at the SCO summit.
Historical precedents of Modi's gesture
This is not the first time PM Modi has stepped away from standard diplomatic norms. As per a report by Moneycontrol, past instances include:
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in February 2016.
Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, in April 2017.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his spouse in September 2017 during the India-Japan summit in Ahmedabad.
French President Emmanuel Macron and King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2018.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2018.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in February 2019.
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UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed in January 2024 during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in February 2025, whom PM Modi referred to as “my brother.”
These gestures have been widely reported in Indian media as breaking conventional protocol, underlining the personal diplomacy that gives life to bilateral relationships.
This will be Putin's first visit since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The two-day state visit is aimed at boosting trade, defence cooperation, and energy partnerships between India and Russia. As many as a dozen agreements are expected to be inked during the visit, which coincides with the US leaning on India to pare imports of Russian oil.
