MUMBAI, India — There was a hug and selfie in a limousine ride after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally picked up Russian President Vladimir Putin on arrival in the capital New Delhi on Thursday evening. Devotional lamps spelled out " Welcome Putin " during an evening prayer at the Ganges River that was shared online. There was an honor guard and a brass band.

India was warmly welcoming Putin for his first visit since his country invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago. The visit in part signaled India's defiance to the Trump administration, which has punished, and publicly humiliated, New Delhi for its purchases of Russian oil.

"The message first and foremost is that India has options," said Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow for South Asia at Chatham House. "I

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