Putin’s India Visit Amid Strained Indo-U.S. Relations

On the evening of December 4, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin—whom he called a “friend”—at the foot of the aircraft stairs at a Delhi airbase. The two shared a handshake and an embrace before traveling together in the same car to the Prime Minister’s Residence for dinner. While similar scenes of the two sharing a vehicle were observed during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, in September, it is extremely rare for Modi to personally receive a foreign leader at the airport.

By Toru Ito, Professor, Department of International Relations & Graduate School of Security Studies, National Defense Academy of Japan

Blue carbon collaboration at COP30: Technical outcomes and pathways

On 11 November 2025, the Ocean Pavilion at COP30 in Belém hosted the session “Blue Carbon Collaboration: Sharing Japan’s Coastal Solutions with Asia and Beyond (Including Marine CDR Pathways)”, organised by the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF).

Japan-U.S. Insights: Analyzing President Trump's Executive Orders on Nuclear Energy Promotion: U.S. Strategic Intent and Implications for Japan

By Yuki Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow, SPF