Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday extended birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praised his contribution to strengthening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia.
The Russian Embassy in India shared Putin’s message on Instagram, in which the Russian president also thanked Modi for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him during his recent visit to New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit.
“Russia’s President Vladimir Putin sent a message to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi warmly congratulating him on his birthday (September 17, 2026),” the embassy said, quoting the message.
“You are rightly enjoying a deep respect from your compatriots and great authority on the global stage. It is impossible to overstate your personal contribution to strengthening the special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia,” Putin said in the message.
Putin described his recent talks with PM Modi as “substantive, frank and productive” and said Russia would continue constructive cooperation with India on bilateral and international issues.
“I would like to express my gratitude for the warm and cordial welcome and hospitality extended to me and the Russian delegation during my visit to New Delhi last week. The talks we held were undoubtedly substantive, frank, and productive,” the embassy quoted Putin as saying.
“As always, it was a genuine pleasure to talk with you, and our discussions once again demonstrated your extraordinary political wisdom and foresight. We will, of course, continue our constructive cooperation on pressing bilateral and international issues for the benefit of our friendly nations,” he added.
Putin’s message came days after his visit to India for the 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on September 12-13.
During the visit, Putin attended the two-day summit and joined other BRICS leaders in a tree plantation initiative. He also attended a dinner hosted by Modi for visiting leaders at Bharat Mandapam.
The Russian president held bilateral talks with PM Modi at Bharat Mandapam, with discussions covering cooperation in key sectors as well as ongoing conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region.
After the meeting, PM Modi and Putin travelled together to the INNOPROM exhibition, organised by the industry and trade ministries of the two countries.
The two leaders similarly travelled together in Kyrgyzstan on August 31 to attend the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games after holding bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek.
(IANS Inputs)
