New Delhi, Sep 11: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday began a three-day visit to India to participate in the BRICS summit and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand bilateral trade, investment, and energy cooperation.
Putin is accompanied by a high-level delegation. It will be his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
The two-day BRICS summit hosted by India starting Saturday is expected to focus on boosting collective resilience in food, energy, health, disaster reduction, and critical supply chains, with New Delhi positioning the bloc as an effective anchor to navigate a fragmented geopolitical environment.
The summit in New Delhi is taking place against the backdrop of a global economy facing the adverse impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, especially 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 top leaders attending the summit.
President Putin was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs K V Singh.
Welcoming the Russian leader, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and Russia share multifaceted and longstanding ties anchored in a special and privileged strategic partnership.
Putin and Modi are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks on Friday afternoon.
The meeting is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in a range of areas including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said both sides are also exploring BrahMos missile upgrades, and that Moscow remains committed to fulfilling its remaining S-400 system deliveries and discussing the proposed supply of Su-57 fighter jets.
The Russian official said the energy ties between the two countries remained robust and that both sides are looking at holding negotiations for India’s plan to set up new civil nuclear reactors.
Modi and Putin previously met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek last week, where the prime minister called for an immediate end to the conflict and urged the Russian leader to shift from an “endless war towards the end of war”.
The Ukraine conflict and roadmap to peace are expected to feature prominently in their upcoming talks.
There have been renewed efforts, including by the Trump administration, in the last few days to find a way to resolve the conflict.
