Modi-Putin meeting at SCO Summit: What’s on agenda as PM begins 4-day Central Asia visit tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his four-day visit visit Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, August 29, Ministry of External Affairs said. The prime minister will attend the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit the Ministry said.

In the first leg of his trip, PM Modi will be in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 29–30 August 2026. This will be Prime Minister’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan. Therafter, the prime minister will travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to participate in the 26th SCO Summit on 31 August – 1 September 2026, as per the official itinerary.

A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been scheduled on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday, 27 August.

MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George confirmed the planned meeting during a special briefing on the Prime Minister's upcoming four-day visit while responding to a question on whether PM Modi was likely to meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.

"We are working on a few bilateral meetings depending on the availability of time and convenience; the meetings will be held, and as and when the meetings are scheduled, it will be conveyed to you. A meeting is scheduled between both the leaders of India and Russia on the sidelines of the summit," George told reporters in New Delhi.

The 26th SCO Summit is expected to focus on the evolving security scenario in the region, the ministry said. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are among the leaders expected to attend the summit.

What to expect in the meeting?

The two leaders are expected to review the broader India-Russia bilateral relationship during their meeting.

"We have had a very successful IRIGC (India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission) recently held in Moscow. Both sides are expected to review the entire gamut of bilateral relationships during the meeting between the leaders at the sidelines of the SCO in Bishkek," the MEA Secretary added.

The scheduled meeting comes days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Putin at the Kremlin during his two-day official visit to Russia and conveyed PM Modi's "good wishes" to the Russian President.

During the meeting, Jaishankar briefed Putin on the outcome of the IRIGC meeting held in Moscow and highlighted the continued growth in bilateral economic cooperation.

Jaishankar also conveyed PM Modi's plans for upcoming high-level engagements with Putin.

"Prime Minister Modi looks forward to meeting you at the SCO Summit, then welcoming you to India for the BRICS Summit, and, in due course, as per your mutual convenience, having the annual summit, so we have a very strong picture of cooperation to present," Jaishankar told Putin.

What is SCO?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security, and defense organization which began in 1996 as the Shanghai Five, a border-demilitarization and trust-building group between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

The grouping was officially renamed and founded as the SCO on June 15, 2001, after the inclusion of Uzbekistan and is today the largest regional organization in the world by geographic coverage and population with 10 member states.

Russia-India relations

The 18th BRICS summit will be held in New Delhi on September 12-13. Member states include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

Putin, in turn, asked Jaishankar to convey his best wishes to Modi and expressed hope of meeting the Prime Minister at the SCO Summit. Putin also pledged that Russia would boost supplies of fertilizer to India, according to Bloomberg.

Russia and India’s relations date back decades to the Cold War era, when the Soviet Union provided military backing and arms to the then-non-aligned New Delhi at a time when Washington was closely tied with neighboring Pakistan.

The two leaders met last time in December 2025 when President Putin visited New Delhi, where the leaders held formal delegations at Hyderabad House, reviewed bilateral cooperation, and signed agreements extending economic partnership until 2030

Prior to that the two leaders met on September 1, 2025, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.

PM Modi's other agendas

PM Modi is visiting Tashkent at the invitation of the President of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the MEA said.

This will be Prime Minister’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan. During the visit, Prime Minister will hold delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The two leaders would review cooperation in trade and investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education and people-to-people domains and set the agenda for the road ahead. They will also share perspectives on advancing the shared developmental visions of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Uzbekistan-2030.

Prime Minister Modi is also expected to visit the Shastri Memorial in Tashkent and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.

From Tashkent, at the invitation of the President of Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Zhaparov, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Bishkek to participate in the 26th SCO Summit on 31 August – 1 September 2026.

Prime Minister Modi will address the Summit where he will highlight India’s priorities of Security, Connectivity and Opportunity at the forum. Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with SCO leaders on the sidelines of the Summit. He will also attend the Opening Ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games, a celebration of the rich cultural heritage of Central Asia.

(With inputs from agencies)