00:00as Vladimir Putin is in New Delhi for the India-Russia annual summit that will be taking place.
00:06Now, as soon as Vladimir Putin touched down in Delhi, a clear message was sent out
00:11that this isn't like any other state visit.
00:14The Russian president received a ceremonial welcome that no protocol book could predict.
00:20Prime Minister Modi himself was at the aircraft ramp, the two old friends sharing a bear hug
00:26and minutes later driving off together in a display of Car Diplomacy 2.0.
00:32Day one of Putin's visit to India wasn't about speeches or summit notes.
00:38It was only about signals and symbols.
00:43Now, the most important signal being the bonhomie of the two nations and their leaders.
00:48That is, take a look at this report as to how this camaraderie was on full display last evening
00:56when, in fact, Prime Minister Modi hosted the president at his own official residence for a dinner later.
01:04A red carpet.
01:23A cultural greeting.
01:30And Prime Minister Modi himself receiving.
01:34This wasn't any other welcoming of a head of state.
01:38It was one that went beyond protocol and into the realm of personal bonds.
01:45As Russian President Vladimir Putin descended from his aircraft,
01:49he was greeted warmly and embraced by PM Narendra Modi.
01:56What followed was a sequel of the much-loved Car Diplomacy,
01:59two of the world's most powerful leaders ditching protocol and hitching a ride together,
02:05boosting their friendship.
02:10It's peak camaraderie that the world has already seen just three months ago,
02:14when the Prime Minister had met the Russian president this fall in China.
02:18The two leaders had then spent 45 minutes conversing,
02:21sharing laughs, and discussing the world order in Vladimir Putin's car.
02:27The Russian president himself told India today how there was no orchestration,
02:31no obligation,
02:32just two friends getting together in one car,
02:35two friends who always have something to talk about.
02:38We were talking about just the current agenda.
02:44It was not pre-planned.
02:46We just went outside into the street,
02:49and my car was there,
02:51and I suggested that we should get together,
02:53just, you know,
02:54as a sign of friendship,
02:55of a comradeship.
02:56There's nothing,
02:57you know,
02:58no complicated orchestration,
03:02just as friends.
03:03We got together in one car,
03:04and we spoke along the road.
03:07There was always something to talk about.
03:09And, you know,
03:10we had a conversation.
03:11We even sat in the car for quite some time,
03:13and then I said,
03:14yes,
03:14we should go because they're waiting for us.
03:16But there's nothing special around that.
03:18It just testifies to the fact that there's a lot we have to talk about,
03:22and these topics are of importance to us.
03:25From Putin's black limousine to Modi's white Fortuna,
03:29these aren't pre-planned diplomatic gestures.
03:32They are a repeated show of the ties
03:34that India and Russia share.
03:38Even the corridors of Kremlin were left surprised.
03:41Russian officials said that Modi's decision to meet Putin
03:44at the ramp of the aircraft was unexpected,
03:47a clear sign that this visit would be more than just business as usual.
03:52And why wouldn't it?
03:54After all,
03:54it is Putin's first visit to India since 2021.
03:57It's a visit that reflects renewed focus on boosting trade,
04:00defence cooperation,
04:01and energy partnership.
04:03And it's a visit that signals New Delhi and Moscow repelling Washington's increased pressure
04:08on India to stop buying Russian oil.
04:10Neither me, nor Prime Minister Modi, despite certain external pressure we face,
04:17have ever, and I want to emphasise this, I want you to hear it,
04:22approached our collaboration to work against someone.
04:25President Trump has his own agenda, his own goals, whereas we focus on ours,
04:32not against anyone, but rather aimed at safeguarding our respective interests, India's and Russia's interests.
04:40As President Putin rightly pointed out, these ties really do go decades back,
04:53not just between the two nations, but also between Modi and Putin themselves.
04:58The share of bond built over nearly 25 years, a relationship that began in 2001,
05:05when as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi had accompanied then-Prime Minister Atal Bari Vajpayee to Moscow and met President Putin.
05:15This marked the beginning of a connection that has only deepened with time.
05:19On Friday, as Vladimir Putin concludes his 11th visit to India, ties with Moscow aren't just being reaffirmed,
05:26they are being reimagined.
05:28And the bonhomie between Modi and Putin is riding shotgun on the powerful message being sent to the Western world.
05:35We are a report, India Today.
05:41With that, viewers, let's quickly take a look at what exactly are we looking at when we discuss the bilateral talks,
05:48that's to take place later in the day.
05:50And as we have been mentioning time and again, the defence seems to be at the topmost priority of that very list,
05:57apart from trade talks that will take place between the two leaders.
06:00Here is a very data set that we present to you in terms of India's arm imports.
06:07And this is the Russia reset that it has, in fact, undergone.
06:11From the years 2010 to 2014, we've seen it at 72%.
06:15Again, this is from SIPRI data, the source being SIPRI data.
06:202015 onward to 2019, we have seen it come down a bit to 55%.
06:26And then 2020 to 2024, we again look at it coming down to 36%.
06:34So that is where it currently stands in terms of India's imports.
06:38And this is the arms imports that we're discussing about as to how it has travelled the trajectory over the years.
06:44And this is the Russian reset that we are, in fact, discussing about.
06:48With that, let's also take you through the defence cooperation,
06:51which is also another very important subject matter that will be taken up by the two leaders today
06:56at the very bilateral meeting that is to take place.
06:59This is S-400 air defence systems, the T-90 tanks and the T-72 upgrades,
07:07the Su-30 and the MiG-29 fighter jets, the Krivak-class stealth frigates,
07:14the Kamov Ka-31 helicopters, the Chakra 3 nuclear-powered attack sub,
07:22the BMP-2 IFVS amphibious infantry vehicles.
07:28So these are the ones, these are the missionaries or rather the systems, the defence systems,
07:35that seem to be of top priority in terms of discussions.
07:39It's also something that we heard from the President, rather the President addressing
07:43upon when the question was posed by both of our colleagues, Geetha Mohan and Anjana Umkashyap,
07:51when they were discussing a plethora of subjects with him in the exclusive interview.
07:56And right now let's, as we speak of the defence systems and the defence cooperation
07:59between the two countries, let's take you through what exactly is the current situation.
08:03India already feels the proven S-400 air defence system, but the big focus now is on what comes next,
08:10that is the next generation, the fifth generation, the S-500s.
08:14From battlefield tested protection to the near-space interception capabilities,
08:19here's how India's missile shield could be transformed with the Russian support.
08:24Let's take a look at this report.
08:26The S-400 air defence missile system, the difference maker during Operation Sindur,
08:40it came from Russia with love and brought Pakistan to its knees.
08:46But if India's enemies thought that the S-400 was deadly,
08:50wait till they face the wrath of the S-500.
09:00A high-stakes visit, advanced air defence systems, potentially defining India's security posture,
09:06all on the agenda. And the big headline is the next generation S-500 Prometheus.
09:11Unlike the S-400, the S-500 isn't just about air threats. It promises a multi-domain shield, air,
09:23ballistic missile, even near-space defence. It's reached up to roughly 500 to 600 kilometres,
09:30with an altitude intercept capability as high as 180 to 200 kilometres. That's a massive jump from the S-400's
09:38roughly 400-kilometre range and 30-kilometre altitude ceiling. The S-400 counters aircraft,
09:45drones and cruise missiles. The S-500 aims to handle all of that,
09:50plus long-range ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons and strategic threats.
09:55If the deal goes through, and especially if co-production begins on Indian soil,
10:04the S-500 could become India's single biggest defence acquisition from Russia.
10:12With Putin in New Delhi this week, attention is firmly on whether the S-500 deal and perhaps even
10:17joint production will be sealed. If it is, India's air and missile defence architecture
10:22could enter a new era. We are a report, India Today.
10:31Now viewers, that is the defence sector that we are looking at, the defence cooperation rather,
10:36that we are looking at between the two nations. But let's also take you to another important part
10:41of discussion that we all have our eyes set on today, which is the trade relations between the two.
10:49Now, let us quickly take you through what the 2024 Indian imports report card looks like from Russia.
10:56If we look at crude oil and fuels, it stands at $60 billion, edible oils at $2.25 billion,
11:04fertilisers at $1.61 billion, precious stones at $783 million and other miscellaneous commodities at $766
11:14million. So this is a report of sorts that we bring to you from the year 2024, that is the previous year,
11:21in terms of how the trade relations have been or rather, more specifically, what the import value,
11:27the worth of imports made from Russia has been in the year 2024 and that is where it stands at.
11:33So yes, the day's agenda is set. It is Namaste Putin and the bilateral talks that is to take
11:42place with President Putin and Prime Minister Modi already haven't shown a full display of camaraderie
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