New Delhi:
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a three-day visit to India to participate in the BRICS summit, has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to expand bilateral trade, investment, and energy cooperation. Moscow is one of New Delhi’s most important strategic partners.
Both leaders shared a warm hug before they sat down for their second meeting this year, having earlier met on the margins of the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek less than two weeks ago, on August 31.
PM Modi also gifted Putin the Russian translation of the Thirukkural written by great Indian Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar which contains extensive writings on agriculture and farmers.
Presented President Putin with a Russian translation of the Thirukkural, which carries the eternal wisdom of the great Thiruvalluvar across languages and borders. pic.twitter.com/rvk3rRDnvg
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 11, 2026
Putin last visited India in December 2025 for the India-Russia summit, but it will be his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
The Russian leader is accompanied by a high-level delegation. His visit comes amid continued high-level engagement between New Delhi and Moscow 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 had urged Putin to move from an “endless war towards the end of war,” in a reference to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that began five years ago following Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
The bilateral meeting on 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 mediapersons 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.
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 BRICS Chair 2026, India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, bringing together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees. During the BRICS Summit, the leaders will exchange views on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation on common priorities and share perspectives on global and regional matters of mutual importance, the Foreign Ministry said.
