Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving in Delhi on Thursday evening, a rare diplomatic gesture signalling the significance New Delhi is attaching to the visit, sources said. PM-level protocol arrangements have been put in place at the airport, they added.

Putin arrives for a two-day state visit — his first trip to India since 2021 and since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war — during which several agreements are expected to be signed. The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the India-Russia strategic partnership and marks the 23rd annual summit between the two nations.

The two leaders last met on September 1 in Tianjin during the SCO Summit and have spoken five times this year.

Putin is accompanied by a high-level ministerial delega

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