BRICS Summit / Russian President Putin Arrives in New Delhi for 18th BRICS Summit

New Delhi, Sep 11: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Confirming Putin’s arrival in the national capital, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X: “Warmly welcome President Vladimir Putin of Russia for the 18th BRICS Summit. He was received by MoS @KVSinghMPGonda at the airport. India and Russia share multifaceted and longstanding ties anchored in a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.”

Putin’s visit comes amid continued high-level engagement between India and Russia and follows his meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek last week.

During their meeting in Bishkek, PM Modi urged Putin to move from an “endless war towards the end of war”, in reference to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that began five years ago following Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

“We have to move from a situation of ‘endless war’ to ‘end of war’… It is humanity’s wish that the end of this war happens as soon as possible,” PM Modi said.

The upcoming PM Modi-Putin meeting, scheduled for Friday, is expected to give both sides an opportunity to review the progress of their bilateral partnership and discuss issues of strategic importance.

Speaking to Indian media persons ahead of Putin's visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said that the two leaders will discuss bilateral ties and ongoing global issues, with the Russian President informing PM Modi about the current situation in the Ukraine conflict.

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Defence cooperation is likely to be among the key areas on the agenda. The two leaders are expected to discuss ongoing and prospective defence projects.

As the BRICS chair for 2026, India is set to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, bringing together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, along with outreach invitees.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the leaders are expected to exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation in areas of common priority and share perspectives on global and regional issues of mutual importance.

(IANS)