Russian President in New Delhi for BRICS Summit: What time is Modi-Putin meeting today? What’s on agenda

Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in New Delhi on Firday begining his three-day visit to India. Putin will participate in the BRICS summit and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand bilateral trade, investment and energy cooperation during the visit.

Putin is accompanied by a high-level delegation. He was recieved by Minister of State for External Affairs, KV Singh at the airport on Firday morning.

"Warmly welcome President Vladimir Putin of Russia for the 18th BRICS Summit. He was received by MoS K V Singh at the airport. India and Russia share multifaceted and longstanding ties anchored in Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

It will be Putin's 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.

What's on the agenda today?

On Friday, President Putin will hold crucial bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi . The meeting is scheduled at 3.30 PM.

This will be second meeting between the two leaders in less than two weeks.

The discussions are expected to focus on strategic trade resilience, cross-border payment mechanisms, energy security, and conflict-resolution pathways regarding ongoing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and West Asia.

Bilateral trade between India and Russia stands at approximately $60 billion, driven heavily by discounted crude oil imports, with both nations targeting $100 billion by 2030.

Putin will also an address at the BRICS Business Forum.

According to a Kremlin statement also shared on its Telegram channel, Putin will pay a working visit to India as the grouping marks its 20th anniversary.

The statement id said Putin will address the plenary session of the annual BRICS Business Forum on September 11, a platform that traditionally precedes the leaders' summit and brings together business representatives from BRICS countries.

On the same day, Putin is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with PM Modi and, along with the Indian leader, visit the INNOPROM exhibition, which has been organised by the industry and trade ministries of Russia and India.

"On September 11, Vladimir Putin will address the plenary session of the annual BRICS Business Forum, which traditionally precedes the summit and serves as an important platform for dialogue among business representatives from BRICS countries. On the same day, the President of Russia will hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, together with him, visit the INNOPROM exhibition, organised by the two countries’ ministries of industry and trade," the statement read.

The Russian President's visit is expected to add further momentum to the India-Russia strategic partnership, with trade and economic cooperation likely to feature prominently in the discussions.

Last Modi-Putin meeting

Modi and Putin mey last at the on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on 31 August. During their meeting, the Prime Minister urged the Russian leader to shift from an "endless war towards the end of war", referring to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that began five years ago after Moscow's full-scale invasion.

"We have to move from a situation of 'endless war' to 'end of war'... It is humanity's wish that the end of this war happens as soon as possible," PM Modi said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskovsaid earlier that Russia was doing our best to contribute to further development of BRICS cooperation in the three main pillars of our interaction.

"Those are policy and security. economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contexts. So, we are supporting idea of inviting new countries to join different formats within BRICS," he said and described BRICS as a flexible club organised around policy and security, economics and finance, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

Sale of Su-57 fighter aircraft

Peskov said Russia is awaiting negotiations with India on setting up new nuclear power plants. He also said that the sale of Su-57 fighter aircraftto India is also on the agenda.

The Kremlin spokesperson stressed the need for cooperation in the financial sector, alleging that some countries were using their currencies as a tool of political oppression.

"The cooperation space within Brics financial sphere is of great importance. Russia recently reached a level of 90 percent of all the payments, all the transactions withBRICS nations being made in national currencies, it's very important. It's not because we are aiming for de-dollarization, for getting rid of US dollars, he said.

India's BRICS Chair

India's BRICS chairship has focused on strengthening international cooperation across trade, digital technology, finance, energy security and global governance reform.

The September summit is expected to address resilient global supply chains, cross-border payment integration, greater use of national currencies, MSME development, digital trade and artificial intelligence.

Energy security, climate resilience, development finance, expansion of the New Development Bank and reforms of multilateral financial and political institutions are also expected to feature prominently.

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.

Who all are attending the summit?

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian counterpart 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.

The meeting is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in a range of areas, including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges.

Full list of global leaders attending BRICS

• Xi Jinping — President, China
• Vladimir Putin — President, Russia
• Cyril Ramaphosa — President, South Africa
• Masoud Pezeshkian — President, Iran
• Abdel Fattah el-Sisi — President, Egypt
• Abiy Ahmed — Prime Minister, Ethiopia
• Prabowo Subianto — President, Indonesia
• Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Mauro Vieira — Foreign minister, Brazil

BRICS partner and outreach leaders

• Alexander Lukashenko — President, Belarus
• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev — President, Kazakhstan
• Anwar Ibrahim — Prime Minister, Malaysia
• Anutin Charnvirakul — Prime Minister, Thailand
• Miguel Díaz-Canel — President, Cuba
• Bola Ahmed Tinubu — President, Nigeria
• Shavkat Mirziyoyev — President, Uzbekistan
• Jessica Alupo — Vice-President, Uganda
• António Guterres — UN Secretary-General

(With agency inputs)