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Vladimir Putin receives guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan ahead of PM Modi meet | Watch
A video of the ceremonial welcome went viral on social media, showing Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving a guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt in New Delhi on Friday, ahead of his summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A video of the ceremonial welcome went viral on social media, which showed Putin receiving a guard of honour. He stood under a ceremonial tent as a military band played its tune and the commander offered his salute.
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Putin then walked on the red carpet and inspected the guard of honour as the band continued playing military tunes. Watch the video here:
Apart from President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, chief of defence staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, and many other dignitaries were present at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan ahead of the arrival of the Russian President.
Putin will meet PM Modi for the 23rd India-Russia Summit at the Hyderabad House later. He is also scheduled to attend a business meeting later in the afternoon before returning to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet President Murmu.
Putin will head back to Moscow on Friday night, concluding his visit to India in just over 24 hours.
Warm welcome for Vladimir Putin in India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received Russian President Vladimir Putin at New Delhi's Palam Airport with a hug, amid a group of artists performing traditional dances.
From the airport, the two leaders travelled to Modi's official residence in his car for a private dinner.
Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure, and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit between the two leaders, which is expected to be closely watched by Western capitals.
The Russian leader's visit to New Delhi has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of a rapid downturn in India-US relations.
