Modi-Putin 'car diplomacy': Aurus ride at BRICS 2026 continues a years-long tradition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly used informal settings to underline the warmth and personal rapport between India and Russia.

Their latest shared ride in New Delhi on September 11, 2026, on the eve of the 18th BRICS Summit, adds another chapter to what has increasingly come to be described as “car diplomacy”.

Following their bilateral talks, Modi and Putin travelled together in Putin’s Aurus Senat, Russia’s heavily armoured presidential limousine, to the INNOPROM India industrial exhibition at Bharat Mandapam. The unusual journey gave the two leaders additional time for private conversation away from the formal setting of diplomatic talks.

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The timing was significant. Putin’s visit to New Delhi comes as India hosts the expanded BRICS 2026 grouping and seeks to balance its long-standing partnership with Moscow with its wider diplomatic relationships. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including trade, energy and defence, as well as major global issues.

A pattern of informal Modi-Putin 'Car Diplomacy'

A particularly memorable moment came in July 2024, when Putin personally drove Modi in an electric car around his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow. The two leaders were photographed travelling together ahead of their informal discussions during Modi's Russia visit.

The most prominent example of modern-day “car diplomacy” came in Tianjin, China, on September 1, 2025, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Putin invited Modi to travel with him in his Aurus Senat from the summit venue to the Ritz-Carlton, where they were scheduled to hold bilateral talks. Modi later described their conversation as insightful, while Putin subsequently said the ride was his idea and a symbol of their friendship.

Just three months later, the gesture was repeated in New Delhi on December 4, 2025. Modi personally received Putin at Palam Technical Airport, and the two leaders travelled together in a Toyota Fortuner to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg for a private dinner. The ride was widely seen as a continuation of the Tianjin gesture.

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The latest instance came in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31, 2026, when Modi and Putin travelled together by car to the opening ceremony of the VI World Nomad Games. The ride followed their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The two leaders arrived together at the venue, turning the journey itself into another highly visible moment of their close ties.

Now, in September 2026, the tradition has returned on an even bigger diplomatic stage. Modi and Putin's Aurus ride through Delhi, ahead of the BRICS summit, once again turned a short journey into a powerful image of India-Russia camaraderie.