Delhi to roll out red carpet for Putin today as global powers watch closely

Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in New Delhi on Thursday for a tightly packed two-day state visit, marked by ceremony and pageantry but focused on core business between the two countries.

A traditional guard of honour will be presented by the armed forces in the forecourt of the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan. A presidential banquet will be hosted, followed by substantive talks on trade, aviation, defence and business.

The visit and its outcome are being closely watched across Western capitals and come at a time when India faces pressure from the US and its NATO allies over its ties with Russia.

For New Delhi, it is a show of strategic autonomy rather than alignment with either the US-led bloc or Russia. The Russian President will be in India (December 4-5) for the 23rd leaders’ summit and will hold talks with PM Narendra Modi.

The Modi-Putin summit is taking place amid strained India-US relations over trade and tariffs, against the backdrop of the US imposing punitive 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports -- including a 25 per cent penalty specifically targeting India’s Russian oil purchase.

Putin will be received at the airport by top Indian officials before heading to a hotel in South Delhi. PM Modi will host a private dinner for the Russian President on Thursday night at his residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.

On Friday, Putin will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, complete with a Guard of Honour presented by all three Indian armed services. After inspecting the guard and meeting members of PM Modi’s Cabinet, the Russian leader will pay homage at Raj Ghat, laying a wreath at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi.

The business end of the visit will unfold at Hyderabad House. Restricted-format talks, limited to six to eight members on each side, will start the process, followed by larger delegation-level discussions.

A joint statement and press briefing by the two leaders will follow a working lunch hosted by PM Modi. Business leaders from both countries will hold parallel meetings, with Indian firms keen on deepening investments in Russia’s resource-rich east and Russian companies seeking new markets amid Western sanctions.

The two sides are expected to ink pacts on trade, economic cooperation and healthcare, with a key focus on a mobility pact that will allow Indians to travel to Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in an online briefing, said the emphasis would be on firming trade and defence ties.

Friday will conclude on a formal note as Putin will call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan before attending a state banquet in his honour. The Russian President will depart late Friday night.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive five-layer security plan is being implemented for Putin’s visit, incorporating elite security forces and advanced technologies. The five-layered powerful security grid includes personnel from Russia’s Presidential Security Service, India’s National Security Guard, specialised commandos, snipers, drones, jamming systems and AI-based surveillance.