When Vladimir Putin’s plane touches down in New Delhi this week, he will be met with the pomp and ceremony reserved for one of India’s most steadfast partners. Yet his host, Prime Narendra Modi, is simultaneously forging a deep strategic relationship with a key global rival: the United States.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s popular nationalist leader, won a sweeping mandate for a second five-year term, setting the stage for further economic change but also more divisive social policies for his Hindu nationalist supporters.

President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi for his first state visit to India since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, showcasing warming ties that have angered the US and led to hefty trade tariffs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin have graced billboards across India in recent weeks. One caption reads: “The dialogue began decades ago. We’re just turning up the volume.” Another hails the “old friendship” between the two nations.

President Putin is on a two-day state visit for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit scheduled in Delhi on December 5

Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in India on Thursday on a state visit aimed at bolstering bilateral and economic ties between the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi