Moscow/New Delhi, July 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a warm welcome by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrived for a private dinner at his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence on the outskirts of Moscow on Monday evening.
The two leaders shook hands warmly and exchanged a friendly close embrace before they sat down for informal talks ahead of the dinner.
PM Modi in a post on X thanked President Putin for hosting him at Novo-Ogaryovo, and said he is looking forward to their formal summit talks on Tuesday, which would help to strengthen their bilateral ties.
“Gratitude to President Putin for hosting me at Novo-Ogaryovo this evening. Looking forward to our talks tomorrow as well, which will surely go a long way in further cementing the bonds of friendship between India and Russia.”
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said:
“A meeting of two close friends and trusted partners.
“PM @narendramodi welcomed by President Vladimir Putin of Russia at his official residence at Novo-Ogaryovo for a private engagement.
“An occasion for the two leaders to cherish & celebrate India-Russia friendship.”
A Russian-Hindi translator, translating President Putin’s welcoming words in Hindi, said: “Honourable PM, my good friend, a very warm welcome. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Russia. While formal talks will take place tomorrow, we can hold informal talks today about the same topics in the atmosphere of my home. “
Earlier, in tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia, the Indian tricolour and the Russian flag lighted up Moscow’s Ostankino Tower – the tallest free-standing structure in Europe.
Ostankino Tower in Moscow was the tallest structure in the world until 1976.
PM Modi also got a rousing welcome from members of the Indian community, who lined up on either side of the road near his hotel, and shouted “Modi, Modi” as his car cade passed by.
“A memorable welcome in Moscow! I thank the Indian community for their affection,” the PM said on X.
PM Modi and Russian President Putin last met at the SCO summit in Samarkand in 2022.
The last time PM Modi was in Russia was in 2019 when he visited Vladivostok. Modi last traveled to Moscow in 2015.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov noted at a briefing that the Kremlin “attaches paramount importance to this visit”.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with Russia’s state-run VGTRK television channel said, “…The agenda of talks will be extensive, if not to say overbusy. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the heads will be able to talk in an informal way as well…We are expecting a very important and full-fledged visit, which is so crucial for Russian-Indian relations.”
