Russian President Vladimir Putin Arrives In New Delhi To Attend BRICS Summit

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday on a three-day visit to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with trade, investment and energy cooperation expected to figure prominently in the discussions.

Putin is leading a high-level delegation and was received at the airport by Minister of State K V Singh. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described India-Russia ties as longstanding and rooted in a “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”.

The visit marks Putin’s first in-person participation in a BRICS summit outside Russia since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

The two-day summit, hosted by India from Saturday, is expected to focus on strengthening collective resilience in areas including food and energy security, health, disaster management and critical supply chains. New Delhi is also positioning BRICS as an effective anchor for navigating an increasingly fragmented geopolitical environment.

Putin and Modi are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks on Friday afternoon. The discussions are expected to cover cooperation in defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges.

The summit is taking place against the backdrop of global economic pressures arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the West Asia crisis, including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration’s trade and tariff policies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and other leaders are also attending the summit. (Agencies)