Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit. As India prepares to host a gathering of world leaders, the summit is expected to include discussions on the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine, global trade tensions and growing divisions within the bloc. Putin landed at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi, where he was received by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. The capital stepped up security and imposed widespread traffic restrictions in central districts, with Delhi Police urging residents to cooperate.

The summit brings together leaders of the 11-member BRICS grouping at a time when its members have sharply different positions on major geopolitical conflicts. For India, the meeting is also an opportunity to balance its ties with Russia, Iran, China and Western powers while pushing for greater cooperation among developing economies.

Putin-Modi Talks Focus on Trade, Energy and Defence

Putin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, with the two leaders discussing trade, energy, defence and wider strategic cooperation ahead of the two-day summit on September 12 and 13. India has significantly increased its reliance on Russian crude in recent years, with Russian oil accounting for more than half of India’s crude imports in July.

The two countries are also exploring cooperation in areas including civil nuclear energy, fertilisers, critical minerals, manufacturing and railways. Prime minister Modi has repeatedly said that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward in resolving the Ukraine conflict, while India continues to deepen its strategic relationship with Moscow.

Iran and Ukraine Conflicts Pose a Challenge for BRICS

The conflict involving Iran is expected to be one of the biggest challenges for the Group as its members hold different strategic interests and positions on the crisis.

“The Gulf conflict is going to be the central fault line this time during the BRICS summit,” Harsh V Pant of India’s Observer Research Foundation told AFP.

Pant also warned that BRICS’ expansion, once viewed as a major achievement, could now make consensus more difficult.

Shilan Shah of Capital Economics also told AFP that “the war in Iran will provide a stern test of the group’s cohesion”, pointing to the failure of BRICS foreign ministers to agree on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May.

The divisions also extend beyond the Middle East. As when Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Kyiv this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war”. Although India has sought to maintain close ties with Russia, it must also prioritise its own national interests, placing New Delhi in a delicate diplomatic position as it hosts the summit.

Xi Jinping Visit Adds to Diplomatic Stakes

Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to attend the summit, adding another major diplomatic dimension to the gathering. India and China are arranging a bilateral meeting between Xi and Modi, as both countries work to stabilise ties after years of tensions along their disputed border. The meeting would be closely watched given the importance of India-China relations to the future direction of BRICS and the wider global order.

BRICS Looks Beyond Conflicts to Global Governance

Beyond geopolitics, the summit will address trade, investment, technology, food and energy security, health, disaster resilience and critical supply chains. BRICS now has 11 members, representing nearly half of the world’s population and a substantial share of global economic activity. India’s 2026 chairship is centred on “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting it's attempt to focus the grouping on economic cooperation even as geopolitical divisions threaten its cohesion.

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