Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed his friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at the annual end-year press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his closest friend among all other heads of global states. The statement came as part of an interactive question-answer session.
He also named global leaders he would like to share a cup of tea with, describing the meeting using just four words. Among the former heads of states were former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, former French President Jacques Chirac, and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Concerning the current leaders, the ones he considered to be trusted friends were Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Putin was saluting an Indian statement by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar wherein he termed BRICS as association between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Quoting western objections, Jaishankar had stated that BRICS neither stands against nor in favor of the West. Putin has echoed these words where he concurs that this organization is to the benefit of the member nation.
Putin often speaks warmly about the policies of India and his friendship with the prime minister, Modi. In this year, Prime Minister Modi visited Russia twice, among which the BRICS summit in October, where he declared again that India will adhere to the path of diplomacy and negotiation. In return, Putin will visit India in early 2025, after reaching a deal for annual meetings between the two leaders.
