Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the two-day BRICS summit, with conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as global economic challenges, expected to dominate discussions among the 11-member group.
Putin is scheduled to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to meet Modi on the sidelines of the summit, according to Indian diplomatic sources.
Putin arrived at Palam Air Force Station, where he was received by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. The visit marks Putin’s latest engagement with Modi as India seeks to maintain its strategic relationship with Russia amid the continuing war in Ukraine.
Xi’s visit is particularly significant as it will be his first trip to India since 2019. The visit comes amid a cautious improvement in relations between India and China following years of tensions, including a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border.
While flights, visas and high-level diplomatic contacts between the two countries have gradually resumed, disputes over their border, India’s growing trade deficit with China and wider strategic competition continue to create tensions.
The conflict involving Iran and Israel is also expected to emerge as a major fault line at the summit. BRICS has expanded significantly since its establishment in 2009 and now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have differing positions on the Middle East conflict.
Analysts say the war involving Iran could test the cohesion of the expanded BRICS grouping, particularly after the bloc’s foreign ministers failed to reach agreement on a joint statement during their meeting in New Delhi in May.
Pezeshkian’s visit will be his first to India as Iranian president. India has maintained relations with both Iran and Israel while also seeking to preserve its strategic ties with the United States.
The conflict has also affected India’s energy strategy, with New Delhi turning increasingly to Russia amid disruptions in energy markets. Putin last visited India in December 2025 and met Modi again in Bishkek earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kyiv this month, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed appreciation for India’s stated commitment to ending the war in Ukraine.
Source: France 24 with AFP
