Modi, Putin took 45-minute-long car ride before hour-long bilateral meet

After the plenary session, PM Modi and Putin travelled to the venue of their bilateral meeting together.

Russian President Vladimir Putin waited for nearly 10 minutes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi so the two leaders could head together for their bilateral meeting, which was held away from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit venue in Tianjin, China, News18 reported.

Putin reportedly wanted to travel with PM Modi from the SCO conference site, and in a symbolic gesture of friendship, he waited outside for the Indian leader.

Once PM Modi arrived, both leaders got into Putin’s Aurus limousine and travelled together to the meeting venue.

During the ride, the two discussed a range of issues before their official talks began.

According to Russian national radio station VestiFM, “The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams. However, on reaching the hotel, they did not deboard the Russian President’s limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes.”

Prime Minister Modi later shared an update on X, saying, “After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful.”