BRICS Summit 2026: PM Modi, Russian President Putin meet in Delhi for bilateral talks

BRICS Summit 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin met on Friday for a bilateral meeting. The leaders are likely to have discussed ways to deepen economic and strategic cooperation between India and Russia as they look to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030.

The Russian President is on a three day visit to India, and will participate in the BRICS Summit 2026 that will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping too.

PM Modi gifted Putin a Russian translation of the ancient Tamil classic Thirukkural during the meeting. The leaders shook hands and shared a hug.

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The bilateral meeting is expected to have focused on expanding ties beyond traditional sectors, covering trade, industry, energy, mobility, and critical resources. Industrial cooperation is expected to be a key topic, including plans related to INNOPROM in India.

Discussions are also likely to have included greater collaboration in the rail sector and tunnelling, development of the steel value chain, increased business-to-business opportunities, and broader market access for Indian and Russian companies.

Civil nuclear cooperation is another major area, with both sides exploring ways to strengthen collaboration across the fuel cycle and life-cycle support. The talks are also expected to address expanding opportunities for skilled Indian workers in Russia.

Critical minerals are also likely to have formed an important pillar of cooperation, along with efforts to sustain and increase collaboration in the fertiliser sector through strategic joint ventures. The discussions aim to broaden cooperation across multiple sectors between the two countries.

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Putin is attending the BRICS summit outside Russia in person for the first time since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022. The summit takes place amid global economic challenges caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the West Asia crisis including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and trade policies from the previous US administration.

Leaders attending the summit include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President 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.

At the airport, President Putin was received by Minister of State for External Affairs K V Singh. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and Russia share longstanding ties based on a special and privileged strategic partnership.

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that both sides are exploring upgrades to the BrahMos missile and remain committed to completing deliveries of the S-400 system. Discussions are also ongoing regarding the proposed supply of Su-57 fighter jets. Energy cooperation remains strong, with plans to negotiate India's new civil nuclear reactors.