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Following his ceremonial welcome and a tri-services guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in the national capital.
He laid a wreath, paid floral tributes at the memorial to the Father of the Nation and also signed the visitors' book at the Rajghat. The Russian President was accompanied by Minister of State for the Ministry of External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, to the memorial site. Putin is on his first visit to India in four years and during his State visit, the Russian President will hold the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Modi. The Russian President is on a two-day State visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prior to his arrival at the Rajghat, the President of the Russian Federation was welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he received the ceremonial tri-services guard of honour as the forecourt echoed with the sound of the Indian as well as the Russian national anthem. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Delhi LG VK Saxena, CDS General Anil Chauhan and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony at which President Droupadi Murmu and Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced each other to the dignitaries from each other's country. Among the Russian dignitaries were Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and Kremlin aide Dmitry Peskov. Four years after their last in-person interaction on Indian soil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to share the stage once again in the national capital today for bilateral talks. Since their last meeting here in December 2021, Putin arrived in the national capital on Thursday and PM Modi broke with protocol to greet him on the tarmac. Following his arrival at the Palam Airport, PM Modi welcomed Putin with a hug. PM Modi, in a post on X, stated that the "friendship" between the two leaders is a "time-tested one" and he was delighted to welcome Putin back to India after four years. Both leaders shared the same car ride to the Lok Kalyan Marg residence of Prime Minister Modi, where Putin was gifted a copy of the sacred Bhagwad Gita. (ANI)
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