Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit on 12 and 13 September, the Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday. The visit carries considerable weight. It will be Putin’s second trip to India within the space of a year, reflecting the sustained warmth between Moscow and New Delhi at a time when their strategic and defence ties continue to deepen.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin will attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13: Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, tweets Russian Embassy in South Africa
Putin last visited India in December 2025 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, where he held extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on expanding bilateral cooperation across key sectors.
Diplomatic groundwork for the summit has already been laid. Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in India to attend a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers, using the occasion to hold separate talks with Prime Minister Modi, a sign that both sides are invested in ensuring the New Delhi summit delivers results.
The gathering is expected to tackle global security challenges, economic cooperation and the push to build a more multipolar world order, issues that have only grown more urgent as tensions reshape alliances across Europe, Asia and beyond.
What is BRICS?
Founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS is an intergovernmental bloc built on the premise that the world’s emerging economies deserve a stronger voice in global affairs. The grouping represents a substantial share of the world’s population and GDP and has long pushed for reform of international financial institutions it views as skewed in favour of Western interests.
Leaders of the bloc last met in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025 for the 17th BRICS Summit, convened under the theme “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance.” India’s hosting of the next edition underlines its growing stature within the grouping and its ambition to shape the agenda of the Global South.
