Putin, Modi vow closer ties before BRICS summit shadowed by wars

Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Diksha Madhok and Swati Pandey, Bloomberg News on Sep 11, 2026

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to deepen ties between their countries, signaling their relationship remains resilient despite mounting pressure from Washington on New Delhi to distance itself from Moscow.

After talks in New Delhi lasting about 40 minutes, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement the two leaders agreed to press ahead with “an effort to strengthen further” their partnership, “which continues to register significant growth and has shown resilience in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties.”

It was their second meeting in less than two weeks. Putin is in India for a gathering of BRICS countries in his first in-person appearance at the group’s summit outside Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Modi met Putin with a handshake and a hug, according to televised footage. The prime minister accepted an invitation to visit Russia for the next bilateral annual summit, according to the statement, at dates to be decided.

In a separate statement, Russia’s embassy in India said Putin and Modi “reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation” in areas ranging from defense and energy to space.

The two-day BRICS gathering that kicks off Saturday brings together leaders from some of the world’s biggest emerging economies at a time when geopolitical tensions are giving fresh urgency to efforts to boost trade in local currencies, strengthen cross-border payment links and deepen economic cooperation within the bloc.

BRICS — an acronym that stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — is a club of nations that accounts for around a quarter of the world’s nominal gross domestic product and roughly half of its population. It now has 10 full members, bringing together some of the globe’s biggest energy producers and consumers.

Friday’s agenda featured a BRICS business forum and a Russia-India trade fair. Putin and Modi held bilateral talks as Russia looks to broaden an economic relationship that has become increasingly dominated by energy. Russia has emerged as one of India’s biggest oil suppliers since its invasion of Ukraine, pushing bilateral trade to record levels.

The U.S. has sought to use its position as India’s top trading partner to pressure New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. India’s purchases declined for a time before picking up again during the Middle East war.

India has adopted a cautious position on Russia’s war in Ukraine since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion in February 2022. It’s called for a halt to the fighting but has been reluctant to criticize the Kremlin and abstained from United Nations votes condemning the war. Last month, Modi called on Putin to end the conflict during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.

Russia is also a massive supplier of weapons to New Delhi. The Indian military has hundreds of Russian-made fighter jets, as well as several S-400 surface-to-air missile defense systems that were used during the four-day conflict with Pakistan in May 2025.

Modi is also scheduled to meet leaders from all 21 participating countries as well as representatives of the United Nations and five regional groupings — the Gulf Cooperation Council, the African Union, Asean, BIMSTEC and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. Asean is the 11-member Southeast Asian regional bloc while BIMSTEC is a seven-country grouping that promotes economic and technical cooperation around the Bay of Bengal.

The BRICS summit is expected to focus on strengthening food and energy security, health systems, disaster preparedness and critical supply chains, as host India seeks to position the bloc as a source of stability in an increasingly fragmented world.

Saturday’s agenda is expected to include a bilateral meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is making his first visit to India since 2019. Leaders are also due to take part in a joint tree-planting ceremony and attend a gala dinner hosted by Modi.