Putin arrives in New Delhi for BRICS summit and talks with Modi

Russian President Vladimir Putin has landed in New Delhi for a three-day visit that will see him attend the BRICS summit and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on expanding bilateral cooperation across trade, investment and energy, officials said.

Mr. Putin arrived with a high-level delegation, marking his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit held outside Russia since the Ukraine conflict erupted in February 2022.

Bilateral talks on the agenda

The Russian President and Mr. Modi are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks on Friday afternoon. The meeting is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in a range of areas, including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges.

Summit to address fragmented global order

India will host the two-day BRICS summit starting on Saturday, with New Delhi expected to position the bloc as an effective anchor to navigate a fragmented geopolitical environment. The summit agenda is expected to focus on boosting collective resilience in food, energy, health, disaster reduction and critical supply chains.

The gathering takes place against the backdrop of a global economy facing the adverse impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, especially the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration's trade and tariff policies.

Leaders from expanded BRICS bloc

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung are among the top leaders attending the summit.

Source: The Hindu