New Delhi, Dec. 6 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up a full day of engagements in New Delhi with a State banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhawan- the same venue where he began his morning with a ceremonial Guard of Honour. The high-profile visit, one of Putin's most prominent diplomatic outings since Russia's isolation following the 2022 Ukraine war, drew global attention as India extended an elaborate welcome.

Throughout the day, Putin held extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attended a business forum and announced the launch of Russia Today in India, the Kremlin-funded and controlled broadcast network. The red-carpet treatment was widely seen as New Delhi signalling its independent foreign-policy stance to western ...