Putin arrives in Delhi for BRICS Summit, set for bilateral talks with PM Modi today

The PM Modi-Putin talks come at a critical juncture, with India and Russia seeking to deepen their strategic partnership while navigating the Ukraine war, global energy disruptions and shifting geopolitical alignments.

In Short

• Russia's Vladimir Putin to hold bilateral talks with PM Modi at 3.30 pm
• Talks to cover defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals, trade
• New Delhi hosts BRICS Summit; Ukraine, West Asia likely to be focus

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit to India, where he will participate in the 18th BRICS Summit and hold wide-ranging bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at expanding cooperation in trade, investment and energy.

Putin, who was accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived at Palam Air Force Station and was received by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.

It will be Putin's first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

PM MODI PUTIN MEETING

The Russian President and PM Modi are scheduled to hold bilateral talks at 3.30 pm on Friday. The meeting is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges, besides expanding bilateral trade and investment.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia and India were also exploring upgrades to BrahMos missiles. Moscow remains committed to completing the remaining deliveries of the S-400 air defence systems and is discussing a proposed supply of Su-57 fighter jets, he said.

Peskov also said energy cooperation between the two countries remained robust and that Moscow and New Delhi were looking at negotiations over India’s plans to establish new civil nuclear reactors.

The Ukraine conflict and efforts towards a peace settlement are expected to feature prominently in their talks on Friday, amid renewed efforts, including by the Trump administration in the US, to find a way to resolve the war.

PM Modi and Putin had previously met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek last week. During that meeting, PM Modi called for an immediate end to the Ukraine conflict and urged Putin to move from an “endless war towards the end of war”.

BRICS SUMMIT AMID GLOBAL CRISES

The two-day BRICS summit, hosted by India from Saturday, is expected to focus on strengthening collective resilience in areas including food, energy, health, disaster reduction and critical supply chains.

New Delhi is positioning BRICS as an effective anchor for navigating an increasingly fragmented geopolitical and economic environment.

The summit is taking place against the backdrop of pressures on the global economy arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, particularly 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, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung are among the leaders attending the summit.

For Xi, the visit will be his first to India since 2019 and comes as New Delhi and Beijing have cautiously worked to improve ties after a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border.

Flights, visas and high-level contacts have gradually been restored between the two countries, although their contested frontier, widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry continue to complicate relations.

WEST ASIA, UKRAINE IN FOCUS

The expanded BRICS grouping is expected to face a test of its cohesion over the West Asia conflict. The bloc, created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers, has since expanded to include countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

India maintains relations with both Iran and Israel while also seeking to balance its ties with Washington. The West Asia crisis is therefore expected to feature prominently in PM Modi’s discussions with Putin, China's Xi and with Iran's Pezeshkian as well as in the broader BRICS deliberations.

India has also turned to Russia amid the energy crisis linked to the Iran conflict. Russia remains one of India’s key strategic partners and an important source of fuel as the Ukraine war continues.

Putin last visited India in December 2025 and briefly met PM Modi again at the Bishkek Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit earlier this month.

- Ends