PM Modi And President Putin to Hold Bilateral Talks in New Delhi Ahead of 18th BRICS Summit

New Delhi: Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India for the BRICS Summit that gets underway on September 12 in New Delhi, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has detailed expectations for the high-level engagement, confirming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with the Russian leader, which is likely on Friday, September 11.

Speaking to reporters via a virtual briefing from Moscow, Peskov said, "We're looking forward to the President and Prime Minister having another bilateral meeting during the visit. It is scheduled. It is scheduled for Friday, so first, like always, they will touch on the bilateral agenda. Trade and economic cooperation is a very wide scope.")

The bilateral talks will take place a day before the official gathering of BRICS leaders at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, scheduled for September 12–13. Defence and security cooperation will feature prominently on the agenda. Top discussions are expected to cover Russia's proposed offer of the Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet to India, including potential joint production and technology transfer frameworks.

Ahead of the visit, Peskov stated that the visit is an opportunity for the two countries to discuss issues of bilateral relations, while also wishing India success in hosting the summit. Elaborating further, Peskov added, "In a couple of days, President Putin will begin his India visit. You know that our two leaders, Indian and Russian leaders, are in very close personal contact. They are very pragmatic in their relationship, and they are sincere enough to be able to discuss in a very open and constructive way the most sensitive issues of our agenda and our bilateral relations. Of course, it opens additional horizons for our cooperation."

"We do not doubt that the summit will be successful. Russia, we are doing our best to contribute to further development of BRICS cooperation in the three main pillars of our interaction. So, those are policy and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contexts. So, we are supporting the idea of inviting new countries to join different formats within BRICS," he noted.

Expanding on multilateral objectives, the Kremlin spokesperson highlighted the need for cooperation in the financial sphere, alleging that certain nations were using their currency as a tool for political oppression. "The cooperation space within the BRICS financial sphere is of great importance. Russia recently reached a level of 90 per cent of all payments, with all transactions with BRICS countries being made in national currencies; it's very important. It's not because we are aiming for de-dollarisation, for getting rid of U.S. dollars. On the contrary, we are open to every acceptable method of payment, but you know that certain countries are using some national currencies as a tool for political oppression. They are introducing sanctions based on their national currencies. So, if they don't let us use their money, we use our own money," Peskov said.

Both leaders are also set to review ongoing civil nuclear energy ventures, such as the expansion of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, along with long-term defence equipment support and spare supply chains. Economic relations and trade logistics will form another central theme. Following significant growth in bilateral trade driven largely by Indian energy purchases, New Delhi and Moscow are seeking to institutionalise resilient payment infrastructure using national currencies to safeguard transactions from external geopolitical pressures.

Building upon this financial and diplomatic momentum, the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, marks a pivotal moment for the rapidly evolving intergovernmental forum of major emerging market economies and developing nations. Initially established as the BRIC alliance comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China, which convened its first Foreign Ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in 2006 and held its inaugural summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009, the group expanded to BRICS following South Africa's admission in 2011.

Guided by India’s 2026 chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” New Delhi's vision focuses on steering the agenda beyond routine political coordination towards tangible, practical cooperation across commerce, agriculture, healthcare, energy, digital technology, urban development, small enterprise empowerment, startups, climate action, and cultural exchanges.

India’s chairship framework is organised around four primary pillars, starting with Resilience, which aims to protect institutions, societies, and economies from supply-chain disruptions, health crises, geopolitical shocks, and climate risks. Innovation forms the second pillar, concentrating on the deployment of artificial intelligence, financial technologies, digital public infrastructure, and data-driven systems.

The third pillar, Cooperation, focuses on broadening trade flows, institutional linkages, development financing, and economic policy alignment. The fourth pillar, Sustainability, seeks to promote global climate action, green finance, energy transitions, and sustainable development, ensuring that established mechanisms deliver enduring operational benefits beyond the summit.

In economic governance and trade, the alliance has advanced the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2030 while reaffirming support for a robust multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. To fortify trade corridors, member states have adopted the BRICS Global Value Chains Action Plan 2026-2030, alongside guiding principles designed to assess export-oriented micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

India is also expected to highlight the need to address the trade imbalance by encouraging greater Russian imports of Indian pharmaceuticals, machinery, and agricultural products. The engagement marks President Putin’s first in-person visit to India for a multilateral summit since 2021. The meeting follows Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Moscow for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in mid-2024, reaffirming what both nations define as a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership."

As India hosts the expanded 11-member BRICS bloc under its 2026 presidency, the Modi-Putin dialogue provides an opportunity to align positions on multilateral economic reforms, global governance, and key interests of the Global South prior to the release of the joint leaders' declaration.

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