Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi
New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on September 11, Friday ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit. He is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the visit is expected to give greater momentum to the longstanding and time-tested India-Russia strategic partnership. Economic cooperation, energy security, cross-border payments, trade in domestic currency, defence co-production & development and regional geopolitical upheavals are likely to figure prominently in the discussions.
President Putin was received at the Delhi airport by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. Welcoming the Russian President, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described India-Russia relations as “multifaceted and longstanding”, anchored in the two countries “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”.
Putin’s first major bilateral engagement during his India visit is scheduled with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 11. The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral trade and economic ties, including strategic trade resilience, investment and transport cooperation.
Cross-border payment mechanisms, greater use of national currencies and energy security are also expected to feature prominently as India and Russia seek to deepen economic cooperation amid growing global economic fragmentation and supply-chain disruptions.
According to the Kremlin, Putin will address the plenary session of the BRICS Business Forum on September 11, Friday. He will also visit the INNOPROM exhibition with PM Modi. Organised by the industry and trade ministries of India and Russia, the exhibition is expected to showcase opportunities for expanding industrial and technological cooperation between the two countries.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin would present initiatives related to trade, economic, investment and transport cooperation at the BRICS Business Forum. The visit also underlines the importance Moscow attaches to the personal relationship between PM Modi and President Putin. Ushakov said Russia highly values the relationship that has developed between the two leaders.
Beyond bilateral economic cooperation, the leaders are also expected to exchange views on major international developments, including ongoing tensions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the West Asia conflict.
Energy security and resilient supply chains have assumed greater importance amid geopolitical disruptions and growing concerns over the weaponisation of economic dependencies. India’s engagement with Russia is therefore likely to remain an important component of New Delhi’s broader strategy of maintaining strategic autonomy while safeguarding its economic and energy interests.
Putin’s India visit comes as BRICS marks its 20th anniversary. The Russian President is scheduled to participate in the summit’s main programme beginning September 12, with discussions covering politics and security, economics and finance, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as current international and regional issues.
President Putin’s schedule also includes several meetings with leaders participating in the summit. On September 11, he is scheduled to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, BRICS New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Moscow is also exploring a meeting between Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. On September 12, Putin is scheduled to meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, while his bilateral programme is expected to conclude with a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who will lead the UAE delegation.
A separate full-scale bilateral meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping is not currently planned, although the two leaders are expected to have opportunities for interaction during the summit.
Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Uganda Vice President Jessica Alupo arrived in New Delhi on September 11, Friday ahead of the summit. They were received by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary.
South Africa is a full BRICS member, while Uganda is among the grouping’s partner countries. Uruguay Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Lubetkin, Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa P Lazaro have also arrived in New Delhi.
Senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, arrived earlier, while Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Zou Jiayi is also attending the summit.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 under its 2026 chairship, guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. The 11-member grouping comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. Collectively, BRICS members account for around 49.5 per cent of the global population, 40 per cent of global GDP and 26 per cent of global trade.
Under India’s chairship, the summit is expected to focus on resilient global supply chains, cross-border payments, national currencies, digital trade, artificial intelligence, MSME development, energy security, climate resilience and development finance. The expansion of the grouping has strengthened its role as a platform for advancing Global South interests and discussions on reform of global financial and political institutions.
The summit comes against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, economic fragmentation, technological disruption, climate pressures and resource challenges, making India’s effort to build consensus among the diverse BRICS membership particularly significant.
