Russia congratulates Modi's longest-serving PM milestone, praises economic gains

Russia on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru's record to become India's longest-serving elected Prime Minister.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that 250 million people had been pulled out of poverty during his ⁠rule."During the rule of Modi, 250 million ⁠people have been pulled out of poverty," Kremlin spokesman Peskov told reporters. "This is a very important indicator for India.""It is a country that has become one of the world's leading economic powers with ‌the fastest rates of economic growth and development. And, most importantly for us, a ⁠country with which we have partnership relations," Peskov said.Earlier in the day, Italian Prime Minsiter Giorgia Meloni also congratulated PM Modi and recalled his recent visit to Italy, during which the two leaders held bilateral talks and launched a new framework for cooperation."Congratulations to Narendra Modi who today becomes the longest-serving elected Prime Minister in the history of India," Meloni wrote."It has been a pleasure to meet again in Rome in recent weeks and to launch together a Special Strategic Partnership that looks to the future to create new opportunities for our Nations and our peoples," she added.On June 10, 2026, Narendra Modi entered the record books by becoming the longest-serving elected Prime Minister of the country, serving the nation continuously for 4,399 days. This is one more than what the country's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had achieved during his lifetime.Nehru had an unbroken tenure of 4,398 days after leading Congress to victories in the country's first three general elections.Nehru, however, continues to hold the record as India's longest-serving Prime Minister overall, having remained in office from Independence in 1947 until his death in 1964.