Modi and Putin share a private car ride in Delhi ahead of BRICS summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin rode together in the Russian leader's Aurus limousine from the SCO summit to their bilateral meeting venue in New Delhi.
In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin convened at the Bharat Mandapam before proceeding to a bilateral meeting. The leaders chose to travel together in the Russian president’s Aurus limousine, marking the fourth occasion they have shared a vehicle. The journey, which lasted close to an hour, featured a private dialogue between the two officials.
Sources indicate that Putin delayed departure for about ten minutes to allow Modi to board. The ride followed their joint appearance at the SCO summit and precedes the upcoming BRICS summit. The encounter underscores continued diplomatic engagement between India and Russia.
How this was covered
- Right-leaning outlets covered this 62m later
- Coverage peaked at 6 outlets in a single hour
Why it matters
The joint ride highlights the close diplomatic ties and ongoing dialogue between India and Russia ahead of major multilateral meetings.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage frames the meeting as a diplomatic push for peace and highlights concerns about the Ukraine war and Russian media expansion, while center coverage merely reports the private car ride and basic diplomatic engagement, and right-leaning coverage emphasizes trade, defence cooperation and strategic partnership.
LEFT
The meeting is portrayed as a diplomatic effort to urge peace in Ukraine and deepen economic ties, with attention to trade targets and worries about Russian disinformation.
CENTER
The story is presented as a straightforward report of Modi and Putin sharing a private car ride and engaging in continued diplomatic dialogue.
RIGHT
Coverage stresses the expansion of trade, energy and defence cooperation, underscoring strategic partnership and military equipment deals.
The left emphasises
- Modi urged Putin to end the Ukraine war
- Target of $100 bn trade by 2030
- Concern over attacks on Indian merchant vessels
- RT’s Hindi channel launch risks spreading disinformation
The right emphasises
- Focus on widening trade, energy and defence collaboration
- Goal of $100 bn annual trade by 2030
- Exploring missile upgrades and S-400 system deliveries
How this story developed
- Sep 4 India Hosts 2026 BRICS Leaders Summit with Global Leaders in New Delhi
- Sep 9 A bilateral meeting between Modi and Putin has been added to the summit agenda.
- Sep 9 India is positioning the summit as a development‑oriented bridge and has set aside the idea of a shared BRICS currency.
- Sep 10 India’s chairmanship delivered 20 sector‑specific agreements on SMEs, startups and supply‑chain resilience.
- Sep 10 Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the summit, marking his first visit to India since 2019.
- Sep 10 India deploys roughly 25,000 security personnel and implements traffic diversions ahead of the summit.
- Sep 11 Delhi traffic to be rerouted from 2 pm to 8:30 pm on Friday for the BRICS summit.
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