President Putin honours Mahatma Gandhi ahead of India-Russia Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on Friday, shortly after receiving a ceremonial welcome and tri-services Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Putin laid a wreath, offered floral tributes at the memorial to the Father of the Nation, and signed the visitors’ book. He was accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh during the visit.

Putin is in India for a two-day State visit, his first in four years, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the visit, he will hold the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit with PM Modi.

Earlier in the morning, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the Russian President at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour as the national anthems of both countries were played. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Delhi LG V. K. Saxena, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and other senior officials were present. The two heads of state introduced their respective delegations, which included Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, marking his first visit since December 2021. Breaking protocol, Prime Minister Modi personally received him at the Palam Airport and greeted him with a warm embrace. In a post on X, the Prime Minister described their friendship as “time-tested” and expressed delight at welcoming Putin back to India after four years.

The two leaders then travelled together to the Prime Minister’s Lok Kalyan Marg residence, where Modi presented Putin with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita.