Modi–Putin Talks Set for BRICS Summit in New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, adding an important India–Russia meeting to the diplomatic calendar surrounding the two-day gathering on September 12 and 13.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on September 8 that the two leaders are expected to discuss issues of mutual interest during their meeting. He described India as an important player in what Moscow terms the “global majority” and said artificial intelligence would also feature prominently on the wider BRICS agenda.

The bilateral comes less than two weeks after Modi and Putin met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek. That meeting covered trade and investment, energy and defence cooperation, while Modi reiterated India’s support for efforts aimed at ending the Russia–Ukraine war.

The Ukraine conflict is expected to return to the discussions in New Delhi. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Modi would hold bilateral meetings with several leaders during the BRICS Summit and that Russia–Ukraine would be among the issues likely to arise.

India has maintained contact with both Moscow and Kyiv and continues to argue that a negotiated settlement, rather than prolonged fighting, offers the viable path forward. The MEA said New Delhi remains open to ideas that could contribute to ending the conflict and referred to recent diplomatic engagement with both Russia and Ukraine.

Beyond Ukraine, the Modi–Putin meeting is likely to provide an opportunity to review the wider India–Russia relationship. Energy, defence cooperation, trade and investment remain central to bilateral engagement, while the two countries also work together through BRICS, the SCO and other multilateral forums.

The timing gives the meeting additional significance. India holds the BRICS chairmanship in 2026, and the New Delhi summit will bring together leaders from a grouping that has expanded considerably in recent years. Russia has continued to view BRICS as an important platform in discussions over the changing international economic and political order.

Artificial intelligence is also emerging as a new area of discussion within the grouping. Peskov’s indication that AI will feature prominently at the summit points to growing BRICS interest in emerging technologies, digital governance and their economic and strategic implications.

For India and Russia, the summit provides another opportunity to maintain high-level political coordination while dealing with a relationship that now spans traditional defence and energy ties as well as newer areas of economic and technological cooperation.

The September meeting will be Modi and Putin’s second face-to-face interaction within a short period, reflecting the frequency of political engagement between New Delhi and Moscow even as both countries navigate a more complicated international environment.