PM Modi and Putin share a ride as they head for bilateral meet after SCO (Pic shared by PM Modi on X)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin shared a ride in Russian President’s Aurus limousine on Monday as they left from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.The two leaders used the ride, that was reportedly offered by Putin, to hold a private conversation that lasted nearly an hour before their formal bilateral meeting. “The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams. However, on reaching the hotel they did not deboard the Russian president’s limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes,” reported PTI quoting Russian national radio station VestiFM. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also later confirmed that the two leaders held a tête-à-tête inside the car for about an hour.Meanwhile, PM Modi shared a photo on social media with the Russian president inside the limousine, saying, “After the proceedings at the SCO Summit venue, President Putin and I travelled together to the venue of our bilateral meeting. Conversations with him are always insightful.”Commentators in Moscow described the extended private exchange as significant, suggesting it may have involved sensitive discussions “not for the ears of others.”During the formal talks that followed, PM Modi urged Putin to end the Ukraine conflict at the earliest, calling it humanity’s responsibility to seek lasting peace in the region.The Prime Minister also extended an invitation to the Russian leader. Putin is scheduled to visit New Delhi in December for summit-level discussions with PM Modi.