New Delhi, September 2026 : Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the national capital on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with discussions expected to cover bilateral ties, defence cooperation and major global developments, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The arrival of the Russian President was confirmed by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Welcoming Putin, Jaiswal said India and Russia share “multifaceted and longstanding ties” anchored in their Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Putin was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh.
Putin’s visit comes amid sustained high-level engagement between New Delhi and Moscow. It follows a meeting between Putin and Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek last week.
During that meeting, Modi urged Putin to work towards ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which began following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Prime Minister stressed the need to move from an “endless war” towards an “end of war”, reflecting India’s continued call for an early resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
The Modi-Putin meeting in New Delhi is expected to provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review the progress of the India-Russia strategic partnership and discuss issues of mutual and global importance.
Ahead of Putin’s visit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Indian media that the talks would focus on bilateral relations and international developments. He also indicated that Putin would brief Modi on the latest situation surrounding the Ukraine conflict.
Defence cooperation is expected to be a key component of the discussions. The two leaders are likely to review ongoing defence projects and explore prospects for further cooperation in the sector. Defence ties have traditionally remained an important pillar of the India-Russia strategic relationship.
Putin’s visit also comes as India hosts the BRICS Summit as the grouping’s chair for 2026. The 18th BRICS Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, bringing together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries as well as invited leaders from outreach countries.
According to the MEA, the summit will provide an opportunity for participating leaders to exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation in areas of common priority and discuss global and regional issues of mutual interest.
India’s hosting of the summit is expected to provide New Delhi with an important platform to advance cooperation within the expanded BRICS grouping while highlighting its priorities on development, economic cooperation and global governance.
