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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 45-minute bilateral meeting at Bharat Mandapam before touring the InnoProm exhibition together. The leaders arrived travelling in President Putin's armoured Aurus Senat limousine, a specialised vehicle built like a light tank. The exhibition highlighted major technological advancements alongside areas for bilateral cooperation, including tunnel boring machines, rare earth minerals, magnets, and fighter jet engine development. Discussions focused on advancing India's self-reliance under Atmanirbhar Bharat across high-technology frontiers and defence manufacturing. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and senior delegation officials accompanied the two leaders during their visit across the pavilion.

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00:00That's the venue, I believe, where INOPROM is going on.
00:04And that's where all the displays are there,
00:07where you were there just a few minutes ago,
00:09which has now been completely barricaded
00:12because of Prime Minister Modi and President Putin's arrival.
00:15The meeting lasted for 45 minutes.
00:17A lot of issues taken up for discussion.
00:19We are expecting a joint statement,
00:21but now it will be also about showcasing India's technological advancements.
00:28Okay, so those are the visuals coming in
00:30of Prime Minister Modi and President Putin
00:33arriving in that car, perhaps, together.
00:36Gaurav.
00:40Quite a vehicle, President Putin's vehicle,
00:44in which they arrived and that vehicle has just taken a turn
00:47right where I was standing this moment.
00:49So it's quite fascinating watching
00:52the way the two world leaders walk together,
00:55their bonhomie, the way they talk to each other.
00:58And remember, in the past, there's been this conversation
01:00that the Russian President said,
01:02oh, I don't need a translator.
01:03I can hear them, I can feel the conversation.
01:07So that's the kind of bonhomie that the two have.
01:10Now, when they walk through this pavilion
01:12like behind me,
01:14the conversation,
01:15and of course, they start the face of Mr. White
01:17behind me, Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry,
01:19just, you know,
01:21and they're now coming in.
01:27So the heads of state came in,
01:29in their cars,
01:30and the others are coming in.
01:32So now walking in to see this exhibition,
01:36and this is an exhibition that everybody must see.
01:39It's truly spectacular.
01:40The kind of progress India has made
01:42in the field of science and technology,
01:45it's something to be proud of.
01:47Technology that we used to buy
01:48from the rest of the world.
01:50Technology that was denied to us
01:52in very critical times.
01:53And we've reported on this.
01:54We've seen our entire Seeking and Sea Harrier fleet
01:57being grounded by sanctions
02:00that were imposed on India
02:02after the 1998 forefront test.
02:04And after that,
02:05how we are going full screen
02:07on Atmanir Bhatt Bharat.
02:09Now that needs to be taken to the next level.
02:11You know, areas like the fighter jet engine.
02:14Once we crack that technology,
02:17because we're also,
02:17we're already doing the nuclear submarine.
02:20Once you start doing the fighter jet engines,
02:22you know, you're doing missiles,
02:24you start doing fighter jet engines,
02:26and you're truly a superb world power.
02:29So that is one frontier
02:31that India needs to crack.
02:33Small arms, you've done a great job.
02:35You know, missiles,
02:37we've done a fantastic job.
02:39And just look at these images
02:40of the Prime Minister
02:41and the Russian President walking in
02:43to this exhibition
02:45as they see new technology
02:47that is on display.
02:49The two world leaders
02:51have had a quick glimpse
02:53of what technology
02:55Russia has to offer.
02:56And Russia has great technology to offer
02:58in terms of tunnel boring machine.
03:00If Russia can give us that technology,
03:02then we are not dependent on China
03:04for tunnel boring machines.
03:05And a lot of our modernization drives
03:07or efforts which are held back
03:10that can move forward
03:11on rare earth minerals.
03:12If you can move forward
03:13on rare earth minerals and magnets,
03:15you know, that's again
03:17a great area of cooperation
03:18where India and Russia
03:20are choosing to move forward.
03:22So this is where
03:23neither America nor China
03:25can deny you technology.
03:27That's the effort
03:28in which this relationship
03:29is now being taken forward, Maria.
03:30So the two leaders
03:33now walking on that red carpet
03:34as they head to Inuprom,
03:36that is the place
03:37where that display has been put.
03:39This is all inside
03:40the Bharat Mandapam
03:42in that massive spread
03:44of several hundred,
03:46you know, okay.
03:47So those are the visuals
03:48right there.
03:50As Prime Minister Modi
03:51and President Putin
03:52now move to another part
03:54of Bharat Mandapam.
03:55That's where Inuprom
03:56is ongoing.
03:57That's the trade talk
03:59which is happening.
03:59the business delegations
04:03accompanying President Putin
04:05have been all there
04:06for the last couple of days, Sandeep.
04:10And what a beautiful display
04:13at Bharat Mandapam
04:14that we are witnessing, Sandeep.
04:16Yeah, absolutely.
04:17And you know, Maria,
04:18I couldn't take my eyes
04:19off that armored
04:20Aurus Senat limousine
04:21that President Putin
04:23has brought with him
04:24from the Russian Federation.
04:25Now that's one of the most
04:26unique cars in the world.
04:28You know, it's, to give you an idea,
04:30it's got a 590 horsepower engine, Maria.
04:33And that is twice the power
04:36of a BMP-2,
04:38infantry combat vehicle.
04:40It's twice as powerful
04:41as a mini tank.
04:43And it's got a weight of something like 6 tons.
04:46It's, you know,
04:46it's built like a tank
04:49and it can take direct hits
04:50from RPGs and sniper weapons.
04:52It's possibly the best
04:54of Russian technology there on display,
04:57which is not part of the exhibition.
04:58It's, of course,
04:59it's a personal, you know,
05:03conveyance for President Putin.
05:05And that's also a,
05:06you can see that,
05:08those visuals there
05:09for his car diplomacy
05:11with Prime Minister Modi.
05:13This has been the stage for that.
05:15The armored Aurus Senat limousine,
05:19which President Putin
05:20has started using in 2018 onwards.
05:23It's been there for about 8 years now.
05:25It is Russia's equivalent
05:26of the US President's Cadillac,
05:30armored Cadillac,
05:31which is called the Beast.
05:32So, there you have it.
05:33It's an interesting statement
05:34that, you know,
05:36President Putin has brought
05:37his own vehicle with him.
05:39And, of course,
05:40the two heads of state
05:43are now together.
05:45Tell me, you know,
05:46tell me how it works.
05:47Usually, most of these heads of state,
05:50you know, actually ensure
05:51that their vehicle lands in the country,
05:53that they are about to arrive?
05:54Yes, absolutely.
05:55There's a whole convoy of,
05:56you know, aircraft
05:57that bring in all of these vehicles.
05:59You know,
06:00they bring in their specialized equipment.
06:01protection equipment.
06:03And this would definitely have come in
06:04a day or two prior
06:06to President Putin's visit.
06:07There's a fleet of these armored limousines,
06:10you know,
06:10that accompany him
06:11wherever he goes in the world
06:12because he's,
06:13you know,
06:15a high value,
06:17you think,
06:18he has a certain threat perception,
06:21which is why he doesn't travel abroad
06:22too frequently.
06:23But when he does,
06:24he travels with this fleet
06:26of armored limousines.
06:27And like I mentioned,
06:28they're built like tanks.
06:29They can withstand,
06:30you know,
06:32rocket-propelled grenade hits.
06:34They're designed to travel
06:35even after their tires have been blown out.
06:37They have run-flat tires.
06:39They have armor plating,
06:40which is why a normal limousine
06:42weighs about two tons.
06:43This particular unit
06:44that President Putin uses,
06:47it's a specialized vehicle.
06:49it's got a weight
06:50of something like six tons.
06:52So it's like a light tank.
06:53It's built to withstand
06:54the very worst
06:55and protect its principles,
06:58President Putin,
06:59of course,
06:59being one of them.
07:00So that's,
07:01that was quite a lesson there, Sandeep.
07:03On that vehicle,
07:04which is now the car
07:06which is being used
07:07by Prime Minister Modi
07:08and President Putin
07:08as they move from one part
07:10of Bharat Mandapam
07:11to another
07:12for that inner prom
07:13and the display
07:14which has been put up.
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