BRICS Summit 2026: Modi, Putin hold bilateral talks
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Friday, with trade, investment, and energy cooperation dominating the agenda. Both nations are aiming for ambitious goals of $100 billion in bilateral trade and $50 billion in two-way investment by 2030. This is Putin's first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the Ukraine war started in February 2022.
Twitter Post
Modi welcomes Putin with hug
#WATCH | Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of BRICS Summit 2026.
— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2026
(Video Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/KhlCIatMI2
Meeting
They shared car
The leaders shared a warm hug before they sat down for their meeting.
At the start of the meeting, Modi gifted Putin a Russian translation of the ancient Tamil classic, Thirukkural, by poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar.
After their bilateral meeting, they shared a car to head to the INNOPROM Exhibition at Bharat Mandapam.
Recent engagement
Putin's India visit comes after meeting in Bishkek
Putin's visit to India comes after his recent meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek.
During that meeting, PM Modi urged Putin to "move from an 'endless war toward the end of war,'" referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ahead of Putin's visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the two leaders will discuss bilateral ties and ongoing global issues, with Putin informing Modi about the current situation in the Ukraine conflict.
Economic backdrop
Spotlight will be on Xi
Apart from Putin, the spotlight will be on Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is due to arrive in India on Saturday for his first visit since 2019.
The visit comes after years of strained relations due to border confrontations.
The June 2020 clash along their 3,488-kilometer frontier was a major flashpoint, driving ties to their lowest point in decades.
Since then, both countries have taken steps toward normalizing relations by restoring direct flights and relaxing some investment restrictions.
Greviances
Core grievances remain despite recent progress
Despite recent progress, core grievances remain. India is wary of China's export controls on key machinery and its ties with Pakistan. Beijing, on the other hand, is concerned about India's alignment with the US in technology, trade and defense.
According to Bloomberg, an official said that the central objective of this weekend's meeting will likely be to give the relationship a broader framework for future engagement.