Modi and Putin share car ride to Nomad Games in fresh display of ‘car diplomacy’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled together in the same car in Bishkek on Monday, continuing a pattern of informal “car diplomacy” between the two leaders.

The pair shared a ride in President Putin’s official Aurus Senat limousine to the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games after holding bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan.

Photographs from inside the vehicle, show the two leaders seated side by side and conversing. The image quickly circulated as an early visual of the informal journey.

This is not the first time the leaders have opted for a joint car journey. They previously travelled together during the 2025 SCO summit in Tianjin, China, and again during President Putin’s visit to India in December 2025. Such rides are widely viewed as a deliberate effort to build personal rapport away from formal meeting rooms.

Before the car journey, the two leaders held discussions covering bilateral trade, defence cooperation, energy, and the situation in Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi is reported to have stressed the need to move towards an end to the conflict through dialogue. President Putin highlighted the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia and noted continued growth in trade and people-to-people ties.

The informal car ride added a personal touch to the tightly scheduled diplomatic programme in Bishkek and underscored the close working relationship between New Delhi and Moscow ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit in India.