Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at deepening defence ties, as New Delhi faces heavy US pressure to stop buying oil from Moscow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at the airport to welcome the Russian leader in person, greeting him on the red carpet with a hug, before riding together in the same car. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin sit in a car as they depart Palam Air Force Base after the latter’s arrival in New Delhi. —AFP Putin, on his first visit to India since the Ukraine war, is accompanied by his Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, with possible deals on fighter jets and air defence systems expected to be discussed. In an interview with India Today, Putin said he was “very happy” to be meeting “my friend” Modi. “The range of our cooperation with India is huge,” he said in remarks translated by the broadcaster, citing ship and aircraft manufacturing, nuclear energy and space exploration. The Indian premier...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday met with senior Russian and Chinese leadership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government summit, according to the Foreign Office (FO). The SCO is holding its Council of Heads of Government summit in Moscow from November 17 to 18. Taking place under Russia’s rotating presidency, the high-level meeting follows the landmark Tianjin summit three months earlier and comes at a pivotal moment for Eurasian economic connectivity in a shifting global order. At the heads of government gathering, Dar met Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with other SCO heads of state and senior officials. In a post on X, the FO said that Putin welcomed leaders to the summit in the Russian capital. He also “emphasised the importance of strengthening regional economic cooperation under the SCO, highlighting its role as a key platform for connectivity, stability, and mutually beneficial development across the region”. Dar also met Chine...