Putin's visit to India — key statements and messages

On Thursday, December 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India for an official visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally greeted him on the red carpet at the airport.

India Today reported on the meeting.

Details of Putin's visit to India

On December 4, Vladimir Putin flew to India. After Putin disembarked, Indian Prime Minister Modi greeted him on the red carpet and escorted him to the welcome stand, where Indian dancers performed for them.

Contrary to tradition, Putin agreed to Modi's offer of a ride in his car as a sign of special respect for his Indian colleague.

Notably, Modi's presence at the airport to greet Putin deviated from standard diplomatic protocol, as foreign leaders are typically welcomed by senior Indian ministers. This was also an unusual display of friendliness toward the Russian president by the Indian prime minister.

The key objective of Putin's two-day trip to India is to seek agreements that will deepen economic ties in energy and military-technical cooperation. The trip is also aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation.

Key statements by Putin during his visit to India

During his visit, the Russian president stated that the restoration of the USSR is out of the question.

In an interview with India Today, Putin noted that he would not "look for those responsible" for the USSR's collapse, saying that "it was the system."

Putin had previously called the collapse of the USSR "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century."

Putin also made a statement regarding temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea.

"Russia did not annex Crimea, but came to the aid of the peninsula's inhabitants," said Putin.

He added that the residents of Crimea did not want "their lives to be connected with those who staged a coup in Ukraine."

Putin added that Russia "will always defend its interests."

The Kremlin leader also spoke about the "special military operation." He said that this operation is not the beginning of a war, but rather an attempt to end it.

"We did not start this war but the West and Ukraine started this," the Russian dictator said in an interview with India Today.

Putin added that Kyiv must realize that the best way to resolve the "conflict" is through negotiations.

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