Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night began a nearly 27-hour visit to India, aimed at reinforcing a bilateral partnership that has endured for close to eight decades despite a turbulent global environment and geopolitical tensions. In a rare diplomatic gesture that underscores the strong ties between India and Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally received Putin at New Delhi's Palam airport with a hug and accorded him a warm welcome to India after a gap of four years, breaking the standard protocol.

Putin was welcomed with a cultural performance as he exited

the airport, after which the two leaders departed in the same car, sharing yet another "car moment." This comes nearly three months after Modi and Putin travelled together in a vehicle in China's Tianjin follow

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