NEW DELHI (Economy India): Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit to India to participate in the 18th BRICS Summit and hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and energy.
Putin is leading a high-level Russian delegation during his visit. His arrival was welcomed by Minister of State for External Affairs K V Singh at the airport.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described India-Russia ties as longstanding and multifaceted, anchored in the two countries’ Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
Putin’s First In-Person BRICS Summit Outside Russia Since Ukraine War
Putin’s visit marks his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.
The two-day BRICS summit, being hosted by India from Saturday, is expected to focus on strengthening collective resilience in areas including food and energy security, healthcare, disaster risk reduction and critical supply chains.
New Delhi is positioning the BRICS grouping as an important platform for navigating an increasingly fragmented geopolitical and economic environment.
Global Economic Challenges in Focus
The summit is taking place against the backdrop of significant global economic and geopolitical challenges.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, the continuing crisis in West Asia and disruptions involving the Strait of Hormuz have created concerns over energy security and global supply chains. Meanwhile, trade and tariff policies under the US administration have added further uncertainty to the global economic outlook.
Against this backdrop, BRICS leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation and build greater resilience among member economies.
Major World Leaders to Attend BRICS Summit
Several prominent leaders are scheduled to attend the summit in New Delhi.
Those attending include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President 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.
The participation of leaders from major emerging economies is expected to give the summit added significance amid shifting global economic and geopolitical alignments.
Modi-Putin Talks to Cover Trade, Energy and Defence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin are scheduled to hold bilateral talks on Friday afternoon.
The discussions are expected to cover a broad range of areas, including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals and people-to-people exchanges.
Expanding bilateral trade and investment is also expected to remain an important priority, along with strengthening energy cooperation between India and Russia.
Putin’s visit comes as New Delhi and Moscow seek to further deepen their longstanding strategic partnership and expand cooperation across multiple sectors.
The BRICS summit and the Modi-Putin meeting are likely to draw close attention as India seeks to strengthen multilateral cooperation while maintaining its strategic partnerships amid a rapidly changing global environment.
(Economy India)
