Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in New Delhi for the BRICS Summit, with his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to cover defence, energy, trade, transport and the Ukraine conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the 18th BRICS Summit, beginning a three-day visit that combines the multilateral meeting with important bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Editorial Team of Behind The Headlines reports that Putin's visit comes at an important moment for India-Russia relations. While the two countries continue to describe their relationship as a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, both New Delhi and Moscow are navigating a rapidly changing global environment shaped by the Ukraine conflict, West Asia tensions, trade pressures and shifting economic alliances.
Modi-Putin meeting is the key focus
Putin is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with Modi in New Delhi ahead of the BRICS leaders' meeting.
The Kremlin has said the talks will cover bilateral relations as well as major international issues. Russian officials have also indicated that Putin is expected to brief Modi on developments in the Ukraine conflict.
The meeting is particularly significant because Modi and Putin have maintained regular high-level contact despite the geopolitical pressure surrounding Russia's war in Ukraine.
The two leaders last met in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31. They reviewed cooperation in areas including politics, trade, defence, energy, space, mobility and people-to-people ties.
Ukraine war will be an important issue
The Ukraine conflict is expected to feature prominently in the conversation.
India has consistently maintained that conflicts should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. During his recent meeting with Putin, Modi reiterated this position while the two leaders discussed developments in the Black Sea region and their impact on maritime trade and the safety of Indian sailors.
Russia has also said it is open to peaceful efforts to resolve the conflict.
This gives India some diplomatic space to maintain communication with Moscow while continuing its broader engagement with Western countries.
However, India has not positioned itself as a mediator with a formal mandate, and expectations of a dramatic breakthrough from the Modi-Putin meeting should therefore be kept realistic.
Trade is becoming increasingly important
The relationship is no longer defined only by defence and energy.
India and Russia are trying to broaden economic cooperation, with both sides looking at investment, manufacturing, technology and connectivity.
The Indian government has set an ambitious target of taking bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, along with $50 billion in two-way investment. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently called for greater Russian investment in India and highlighted opportunities in pharmaceuticals, automobile components and food products.
This is significant because India wants to increase its exports to Russia rather than allowing the relationship to remain heavily dependent on energy imports.
Energy remains a major pillar
Energy will continue to be an important part of the relationship.
Indian companies have maintained substantial engagement with Russian crude and energy supplies despite international pressure on Moscow.
The two countries are also exploring cooperation in areas such as nuclear power, LNG, oil refining, petrochemicals and other energy technologies.
For India, maintaining stable energy supplies is important for economic growth and energy security.
For Russia, India remains one of the major markets through which it can maintain economic engagement with the wider world.
Defence cooperation could also feature
Defence remains one of the traditional pillars of India-Russia relations.
While India has significantly diversified its defence procurement in recent years, Russian-origin platforms continue to form an important part of India's military inventory.
Ahead of Putin's visit, Russian officials indicated that discussions could include the Su-57 fighter aircraft, alongside broader defence cooperation.
The larger question for India is how future defence cooperation can move beyond traditional purchases towards technology, manufacturing and joint development.
New Delhi increasingly wants defence partnerships to strengthen domestic manufacturing under its broader self-reliance strategy.
Connectivity could get greater attention
Transport is another area expected to feature in discussions.
India and Russia have been working to strengthen connectivity through projects such as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor.
These routes could become increasingly important as companies look for alternatives to traditional trade routes affected by geopolitical tensions.
The Modi-Putin discussions are therefore not simply about the Russia-Ukraine war.
They are also about how India and Russia can build economic links that remain useful despite changing global trade patterns.
Putin's visit comes as BRICS faces its own challenges
The Russian President's arrival also comes as India prepares to host an expanded BRICS grouping.
The 18th BRICS Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, under India's 2026 chairship.
BRICS now consists of 11 full members, including India, Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia. Together, the members account for nearly half of the world's population and a substantial share of global economic output.
But the expanded grouping is far from politically uniform.
India has close ties with Russia but is also strengthening relations with the United States and Europe.
China and India continue to manage strategic competition.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have their own complicated regional relationship.
The Ukraine war and conflicts in West Asia further expose these differences.
That makes India's role as BRICS chair particularly important.
India's balancing act
Putin's visit illustrates the broader balancing act facing New Delhi.
India wants to preserve its long-standing relationship with Moscow while simultaneously expanding strategic cooperation with the United States, Europe, Japan and other partners.
This does not necessarily require India to choose one side.
Instead, New Delhi is attempting to maintain strategic autonomy — cooperating with different powers on different issues according to India's national interests.
The Russia relationship remains important because of defence, energy, space, nuclear cooperation and diplomatic coordination.
At the same time, India does not want its relationship with Moscow to limit its engagement with other major economies.
What can we expect from the Modi-Putin talks?
The meeting is unlikely to produce one dramatic announcement that changes the relationship overnight.
Instead, its importance may lie in a series of smaller decisions.
The two leaders could provide political direction on:
Expanding bilateral trade and investment
Defence technology and manufacturing
Energy and nuclear cooperation
Transport and connectivity projects
National-currency trade mechanisms
Russian investment in India
The Ukraine conflict
Wider developments in West Asia
Cooperation within BRICS
The tone of the meeting will also matter.
A strong emphasis on economic cooperation would signal that India and Russia are attempting to move the relationship beyond its traditional defence-and-energy foundation.
The bigger picture
Putin's arrival in New Delhi comes at a time when the global order is becoming increasingly fragmented.
Russia is under sustained Western pressure because of the Ukraine war.
China is expanding its economic and strategic influence.
The United States remains an important partner for India.
BRICS itself is becoming larger but also more diverse.
In this environment, India-Russia ties are being tested not by a lack of political contact, but by how effectively the two countries can adapt their partnership to new realities.
India wants Russia to remain a reliable strategic partner without becoming economically or diplomatically dependent on Moscow.
Russia, meanwhile, sees India as one of the most important partners in the Global South and a major market for its energy, defence and industrial sectors.
Putin's Delhi visit is therefore about much more than the BRICS Summit. It is a test of how India-Russia ties can evolve while the world around them is changing.
The real outcome will not be measured by the handshake at the summit.
It will be measured by what India and Russia agree to build after the meeting.